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        A Pakistani cleric of Islamabad's Lal Masjid, who has been at the centre of controversy over his demand for imposition of Sharia, has threatened to kidnap security men if the abduction of madrassa students was not stopped immediately, a news report has said.

        Maulana Abdul Aziz of Lal Masjid warned intelligence agencies against 'kidnapping' his madrassa students. 'If the intelligence agencies continue to kidnap our students, we will start kidnapping their personnel. The kidnapped personnel will be kept on Lal Masjid premises,' Aziz told a prayer meeting at Lal Masjid Friday. Maulana Aziz said the intelligence agencies picked up people, including women, and tortured them before handing them over to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. Clerics are taking law into their hands.

        A former diplomat, who has stunned the Air India inquiry with his statement that he had seen intelligence warning of an attack, has apologised to the families of the victims but ruled out quitting as Ontario's

        Lieutenant-Governor. James Bartleman Thursday testified before the inquiry commission that he possessed intelligence that indicated an attack on the airline was imminent just days before the 1985 bombing. Bartleman read a brief statement to reporters Friday, a day after he told the inquiry he waited two decades to come forward because he thought police were acting appropriately on his information. No one could have imagined that questions surrounding the case would carry on for two decades, he said. Had he opened his mouth it could have been averted.

        The Dalai Lama has said the Tibetan people would live in harmony with the Chinese if the ruling Communist Party would allow them to govern themselves. Sitting with his legs crossed on a golden throne in a red robe, the 71-year-old spiritual and political leader of Tibet in exile told 12,000 people at the University of Wisconsin Friday that he continued to believe a solution over his homeland was possible. 'Please give us meaningful autonomy,' he said Friday, in a plea to the Chinese, who have accused him of trying to split up their country. He said independence would actually help the government maintain 'unity and stability and prosperity and through that way, harmony.' It could be tried.

        A hapless father in Orissa's Bhadrak district has sought permission from the government to allow him and three of his eight children to die. In letters addressed to the President, Prime Minister and Orissa Chief Minister, 72-year old Hakimuddin Khan of Kamalpur village said that his three sons were suffering from some rare genetic disorder which made them cripple for two decades. His sons were totally dependent on Hakimuddin, who used to be a daily wage labourer, for their survival. 'Now I am old and unable to walk on my own feet. How can I support them,' the father said in the letters which were submitted to the district collector's office Friday. The disorder has made Raffimuddin (35), Hapimuddin (33) and Mustaf (28) cripple their lower limbs. Poor father pleading with government.

        BSP president Mayawati Friday termed her party the 'true well-wisher of Muslims', saying despite forming coalition government with the BJP in Uttar Pradesh thrice, it never compromised with their interests. 'BSP has fielded maximum number of Muslims in the ongoing Assembly elections and had also given important portfolios to Muslim Ministers when in power in the State,' she told an election meeting Azamgarh. Continuing her attack on the Samajwadi Party leaders, she said if voted to power, she would expose the 'wrong-doings of the present government and bring all those guilty to book.' Attacking the BJP and Congress, she said these parties had facilitated formation of Mulayam government in UP but were today opposing him. Mayawati behaves like a typical politician.

        The Dal Khalsa, a political outfit that was banned during the period of militancy in Punjab, took a dig at Akali-BJP alliance government for constituting a probe panel to look into the 'fake encounters' carried out by State police. In a statement, party spokespersons Kanwarpal Singh and Harcharanjit Singh Dhami said Hoshiarpur that to expect justice and fair deal from the class of perpetrators would be 'preposterous'.

        'It was a foregone conclusion that the probe panel headed by a police officer who was not only a part of the system but was a strong votary of applying terror tactics would lead to nothing', they said. The Dal Khalsa demanded that the probe panel should be headed by sitting judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court if the government intends to unearth the mystery and real culprits behind the 'crime'. Dal Khalsa makes its presence felt.

        A total of 115 houses, built by SOS Children's Villages of India - Chatnath Homes, Chennai, were handed over to tsunami survivors of Pudukuppam near Sirkazhi in the district. Handing over the keys of the houses Friday, District Collector Tenkasi S Jawahar said Rs 41 lakh had been allotted for laying a cement road in Pudukuppam and all basic amenities would be provided in the locality. The State government had provided 9.34 acres of land free of cost for construction of the permanent houses. Earlier, Uma Narayanan, managing trustee of SOS Children's Villages of India, Chennai, handed over the keys of the house to the Collector, who in turn handed them over to the beneficiaries. Narayanan said the organisation was constructing 35 more houses sponsored by the Cities of Paderborn and Plauen of Germany and the work would be completed soon. It is good that the unfortunates are given a helping hand.

        A group of advocates held a demonstration in front of the District Court in Madurai Saturday, demanding arrest of police SP Premkumar and three policemen who had been convicted by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court in a case. Premkumar had been sentenced to one month imprisonment last month in a case filed by an ex-army man Nallakaman who accused him of torturing him and parading him in the street with handcuffs while intervening in a civil case. The Fast Track court had even issued arrest warrant against Premkumar 'in view of the serious human rights violations and High Court's conviction.' But Premkumar had neither surrendered nor had been arrested by the police, the advocates said. The advocates shouted slogans demanding arrest of Premkumar and three other constables who tortured Nallakaman. It is unwarranted of a police officer.

        The proposed delimitation of Assembly and Parliament constituencies was done with 'ulterior motives' and it deprived the southern districts of Tamilnadu due representation in these legislative bodies, Puthia Tamizhagam leader Krishnaswamy said in Madurai on Thursday. Talking to reporters, he wondered why all the four reserved Lok Sabha constituencies should be taken to north Tamilnadu under the new delimitation proposal. The Election Commission, for 'some unknown reasons was trying to finalise the delimitation process in advance', he alleged. Any delimitation process should be only to correct the minor errors here and there and not revamp the entire constituency, violating the existing guidelines and methodology, he said. Theni, which is a district headquarter, would not have Assembly constituency under the new delimitation process. Delimitation should not be sporadic.

        India has emerged as the top country in the world where corporates view the maturing domestic capital markets as a growth opportunity than risks related to rising expectations from investors. According to a survey conducted by global research and consultancy giant McKinsey, 77 per cent of CEOs and other senior executives globally and 76 per cent in India said that this process was affecting the way their companies operate. However, it was only India and Latin America where executives foresee the advantages outweighing pressure of rising expectations. Indians are particularly more bullish, with nearly 60 per cent saying the changes in capital markets were providing advantageous new business opportunities, as against 45 per cent who said their companies faced pressure from rising expectations from this trend.

        India cricket captain Rahul Dravid was injured Saturday after being hit in the face by a ball during batting practice ahead of his team's tour of Bangladesh.

        Dravid, who was wearing a helmet, lay on the ground for some time after he took the impact of a bouncer from pace bowler R P Singh on his face. The Indian skipper eventually got to his feet and left the the field, covering his face with a towel.

        Samir Dasgupta, a local manager for the Indian team, said Dravid's injury didn't appear to be serious, but doctors have kept him under observation.

        Earlier this week, India's top batsman Sachin Tendulkar injured his right ankle during a similar practice session. Tendulkar has yet to recover.

        The Indian team leaves for Bangladesh on Sunday to play three limited-overs internationals, followed by two tests.

        Counselling for admissions to professional courses in Tamilnadu will begin on 9 July, the State government announced. An official press release Friday said the counselling for the government quota of seats would be held in Chennai alone to avoid delay. Counselling would end on 15 August and classes would begin on 20 August. Applications would be issued from 16 May and the last date for submitting applications would be 5 June. The ranks of students would be determined as per their marks in the qualifying examinations and when the marks were equal, the marks in maths would be compared to determine ranks. If the marks in maths was equal, the marks in physics would be compared. If marks in Maths and Physics were equal, marks in optional subject would be compared. When all the marks were equal, students born earlier would be given preference. Professional courses admission every year previously depended on CET.

        The Tamilnadu government would regularise encroachments on temple lands, Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments K R Periyakaruppan said Friday. Replying to the discussion on demands for grants to his department in the Assembly, he said that persons who had constructed houses on such lands could regularise their houses by paying designated sums in instalments. This move was expected to benefit 21,000 families and also earn huge revenue for temples, the Minister said. He also announced that an amount of Rs 9.8 crore had been allotted for renovating 48 ancient temples in the State. A Temple Protection Force has been formed to safeguard valuables in temples and safeguard the icons there, he said. The government cares for temples.

        Ruing the fact that the Tamilnadu Secretariat was functioning from a leased building, an AIADMK MLA Friday urged the government to construct a new building. AIADMK MLA Anitha Radhakrishnan, while participating in the discussion on the demands for grants to Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, said neighbouring States like Kerala and Karnataka had their own buildings. 'But here, the Secretariat is functioning in the building leased from the Defence department. The building is suffering from space crunch,' he said. The previous AIADMK regime, under the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, had identified land for this purpose (at Kotturpuram here), and initiated the proceedings in this regard, Radhakrishnan said while urging the DMK government to construct a new spacious building. There was talk of even shifting headquarter to a southern district.