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        Gunmen dynamited the front gate of a residential compound in southern Nigeria Saturday and kidnapped three Indians in an attack that left one Nigerian dead, the military said. Security forces intervened before seven other Indian nationals could be taken away from the compound in the main oil city of Port Harcourt, military spokesman Major Sagir Musa said. One Nigerian civilian died in the pre-dawn attack, he said. There were no casualties among the security forces. The attackers entered the compound after setting dynamite against the front entrance and detonating the charges, Musa said. The Indians' employer was not immediately known. Militants in the lawless region say they are fighting for the release of two of their leaders imprisoned on treason or corruption charges, as well as for more control of oil funds for their impoverished region. Highly condemnable.

        Emergency-ruled Bangladesh is expected to witness soon emergence of a new political party as efforts were underway by the military-backed interim government to rope in 'competent and honest' leaders to launch a new political order. 'Behind the scenes initiators of a 'new political order' have set about expediting the process of forming a new political platform and are trying to rope in politicians from both sides of the partisan divide,' the New Age newspaper reported quoting anonymous sources in major parties. The Manovjamin newspaper supplemented the report saying a 'talent hunt' exercise was nearly completed as the military-backed interim government was selecting relatively young, popular, competent and honest leaders to entrust them with the task of organising the new organisation at the district level. The soil is dictatorial- drenched.

        The United States has pledged swift action to find a successor to disgraced World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz, a choice expected to balance Washington's neoconservative agenda with more diplomatic finesse. The morning after Wolfowitz's resignation under duress over favouritism shown to his girlfriend, a bank employee, the White House Friday sought to turn a page on furore that has soiled the development lender for more than a month. It even evoked the possibility of breaking with tradition and nominating a non-American to the post. Wolfowitz said late Thursday he would step down on 30 June in the 'best interests' of the bank following weeks of pressure over a generous pay and promotion package he arranged for his girlfriend. Unceremonial ouster.

        The Bharatiya Janata Party Saturday filed a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) against Maharashtra's Revenue Minister Narayan Rane for 'misusing' his position during campaigning for Goa Assembly elections slated for 2 June. 'We have asked the EC and Goa's Chief Electoral Officer to stop Rane from misusing his position,' BJP leader Manohar Parrikar told reporters in Panaji. Rane, who has a stronghold over Konkan belt, bordering Goa, is campaigning for Congress in the State. 'Rane is using siren and moving with heavy security. He is an ordinary politician in Goa and security to the extent of what is required should be provided to him,' Parrikar, former Goa Chief Minister said. The BJP leader said that Rane, by going around with guards armed with machine guns is 'intimidating' voters. If true, it does not augur well.

        The death toll in Friday's bomb blast at Mecca Masjid and the subsequent police firing has been officially put at 16. While 11 people died in the explosion inside the mosque during Friday prayers, five persons were killed in the police firing in the old city soon after the blast, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy told reporters in Hyderbad Saturday. As many as 61 people were injured in the blast, he said. Earlier, there was confusion over the number of persons killed in police firing at Shah-Ali-Banda, about a kilometre from the blast site, to quell the rampaging mob. The relief package announced by the government, including Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia, a house and a government job to each bereaved family, would apply to victims of the blast and police firing, the Chief Minister said. When will the bomb culture die?

        Various Hindu organisations, including VHP and Akhil Bhartiya Sant Samiti, Saturday demanded that the head of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda apologise for having worn a dress similar to the one worn by 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh. Samiti General Secretary Swami Hans Dass said at a press conference that various Hindu organisations had discussed the stand-off between followers of the Dera and different Sikh organisations in Punjab at a meeting in Haridwar. These bodies felt that Dera Head Sant Gurmit Rahim Ram Singh had done wrong by wearing the dress and administering Amrit (nectar) to his followers hurting the sentiments of the Sikhs, he added. He should not only apologise for his action, which had hurt the Sikhs and people of other communities, but also assure that he would not repeat such an act in future, Dass said. Religious sentiments should never be hurt.

        The 12 fishermen from Tamilnadu and Kerala, reported missing after they were allegedly kidnapped along with their boats on 7 March, arrived at Thangachimadam and Narikuli coastal villages Friday night. Official sources said the fishermen from Tuticorin in Tamilnadu and Kollam in Kerala had been kidnapped when they were fishing in the Indian waters off Kanyakumari coast. They were released without any conditions or negotiations, the sources said. While, Thavayunus, Esudas, Kingsley, Albert and Jerry arrived in one boat near Thangachimadam along with some refugees, Claymones, James, Deepak, Prabu, Franklin and Anystone reached Narikili in Rameswaram coast. Another fisherman Simon, who was also a boat owner, had left here for Kerala coast. Of late, Indian Ocean has become risky for Tamilnadu fishermen.

        Some Dravidar Kazhagam volunteers Friday expressed displeasure over the covering of the E V Ramaswamy Periyar statue near the Sriranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam with a blue carpet when thousands of devotees had thronged the temple for the Chithrai Car festival on 13 May. Speaking for the volunteers in Srirangam Friday, DK leader K Palani asked if the officials would cover the temple tower with a carpet if his party organised a meeting in the town. Palani said: 'purpose of installing the statue was to remind people about the great person. Why should the officials cover it'. Police had covered the statue when devotees started gathering near it and discussing about the installation of the statue near the temple. To avoid any untoward incident, they had covered it with a blue carpet, police sources said. Statue in front of the temple itself is a controversial issue.

        Chief Election Commissioner, Gopalswamy, Saturday said that a decision on the suggestions and grievances regarding the delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies would be taken in two months. Talking to newsmen after hearing the suggestions made by people from southern districts during the public sitting in Madurai, he said the grievance regarding shifting of all reserved constituencies to North Tamilnadu and assured that a decision would be taken on rationally distributing the reserved constituencies also. The suggestions made Saturday would be discussed during the meeting on 23 May. The Political party leaders felt the Delimitation Committee should not take into account the population alone as the main criteria for delimitation the other factors including Geographical factors should also be taken into account. It is hoped it would be settled amicably.

        Amid complaints that banks are charging excessive interest rates on loans, the Reserve Bank asked urban co-operative banks (UCBs) to fix upper limit on the interest rates, including processing and other charges

        within three months on 'certain loans'. The RBI has earlier asked the Scheduled Commercial Banks to initiate steps in this regard. Issuing broad guidelines on the issue, the central bank said these ceilings on interest rates should be suitably publicised. The RBI also asked banks to ensure that the total interest debited should not exceed the principal amount on short term loans given to small and marginal farmers,

        including those having land holding of five acres and less. The guidelines further said no penal interest should be charged for loans up to Rs 25,000 to borrowers under priority sector. However, interest may be levied for reasons such as default in repayment, non-submission of financial statements etc, it said.

        India won the one-day series against Bangladesh 2-0 after the third and final match was abandoned without a ball being bowled on Tuesday.

        India won the opening two matches of the series in Dhaka last week, their first outing since a first-round exit from the World Cup, where they lost to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the preliminary stage. Mahendra Singh Dhoni defied cramps to hit a mature unbeaten 93 as India recovered from a mid-innings slump to post a hard-fought five-wicket win over Bangladesh in the truncated first cricket one-dayer.

        In the second ODI, Gautam Gambhir struck a fine century as India scored a comfortable 46-run victory over Bangladesh to win the second ODI.

        Alleging a 'conspiracy' by the ruling DMK in collusion with the Assembly Secretary to sabotage the coming biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha from Tamilnadu, AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa Thursday said the Election Commission should appoint a 'neutral and impartial' person to conduct the polls. In a memorandum to the Chief Election Commissioner, a copy of which was circulated to the media in Chennai, she claimed that the AIADMK had received 'definite information' that the DMK was 'conspiring' to get Assembly Secretary M Selvaraj appointed as the Returning Officer for the 15 June polls. Selvaraj, who would be retiring within a few months, was trying his best to secure an extension of service, she said adding that 'the said Secretary, after consultation with DMK office-bearers, has agreed to sabotage the election adversely vis-a-vis the AIADMK.' Jaya wants RS biennial poll to be fair.

        Charging the Tamilnadu government with 'misusing tsunami-rehabilitation to remove coastal people from their rightful places', social worker Medha Patkar Thursday called for a struggle against such efforts. 'The DMK government was adopting the same policies as followed by the previous AIADMK government,' Patkar, convenor of the National Alliance of People's Movement (NAPM), said at a fishermen's hamlet here Thursday. She cited some complaints of people at residential colonies like Srinivasapuram and Nochikuppam, settled on the shores of the Marina beach. 'It is a pity to see that no proper rehabilitation is actually in place while the State government is keen on moving such people out of the land that they have been living for decades,' she said. Patkar also demanded a white paper on the accounts of expenditure of tsunami-relief funds received by the State. Serious allegation, of course.

        Accusing the Congress- led UPA government at the Centre of failing to implement various promises pertaining to welfare of Dalits, the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations Friday cautioned the Congress not to take the support of its members for granted. 'The results of the recent elections to the Uttar Pradesh State Assembly should be viewed by the Congress as a warning. We are only demanding our rights as enshrined in the constitution', Confederation Chairman Dr Udit Raj told a press conference, in Chennai. Stating that the confederation proposed to launch an agitation in about two months in Tamilnadu if no concrete step was taken by the State government to fill up the 1.5 lakh vacant posts reserved for Dalits and tribals by then, he alleged that neither the State government nor the Centre were keen to fill up the backlog. A warning to Congress.