"Let's go" text found on Paris attacker's cell phone

PARIS: A cell phone has been found near the site of one of Friday's Paris shootings with a map of the music venue that was attacked and a text message on it saying words to the effect of "let's go", a source with knowledge of the investigations said.

Confirming reports on French web site Mediapart and US television channel CNN, the source said the phone was found in a dustbin near the Bataclan concert hall where the bloodiest of the shootings took place.

At least 129 people died in the killings, including 89 at Bataclan. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the co-ordinated suicide bombings and shootings.

Obama says Putin a 'constructive partner' in Syria talks

MANILA: US President Barack Obama on Wednesday praised Russia's role in talks to end the Syria crisis and offered the prospect of better ties if Moscow focused military strikes on the Islamic State group.

Obama said Russia had been a "constructive partner in Vienna in trying to create a political transition," referring to international talks in Austria.

But, he said, there were still differences over the fate of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, and Moscow's current military focus on defending him.

"There is obviously a catch, which is Moscow is still interested in keeping Assad in power," Obama said.

But he added: "Those differences have not prevented us at looking at how could we set up a cease fire."

Obama also expressed hope that Russia may shift the military focus from defending Assad to attacking the Islamic State group.

Putin's government recently blamed the jihadists for downing a Russian aircraft over Egypt in October, killing 224 people on board.

"In their initial military incursion into Syria, they have been more focused on propping up President Assad," Obama said.

"If, in fact, he shifts his focus and the focus of his military, to what is the principle threat, which is ISIS, then that is what we want to see," Obama said using another acronym for the group.

"We are going to wait and see whether Russia does end up paying more attention to ISIL targets. If it does so, that's something we welcome."

Obama was speaking after a meeting with Philippine President Benigno Aquino in Manila.

Five children trafficked to Bangladesh handed over to BSF

AGARTALA: Five children, who were trafficked to neighbouring Bangladesh by their close relative, have been handed over to the BSF by Bangladesh Border Guards after 23 days, the police said on Monday.

One Rehena Begum, close relative of the children on the pretext of showing them Muharram procession ('Tazia') took the children outside on October 24 last and did not return with them. 
The children, aged between 8 and 11 years, were all residents of Purba-Gokulpur village in Gomati district.  

Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Gomati district Ratan Das said, on receipt of FIR from their parents, the police started investigation and found that the children were trafficked to Bangladesh.

Accordingly, the police informed the matter to BSF to take it up with BGB.

Bangladesh police recovered the children in Companyganj area of Mahalia district of the neighbouring country on October 24 and produced them in a local court there on the following day.

Police said, judicial magistrate of Noakhali in Bangladesh yesterday had ordered the police to handover the children to their parents through BGB.

BGB handed them over to BSF last night through Belonia check post in South Tripura district after 23 days.

KCR tears into Congress, TDP

WARANGAL: Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday tore into opposition parties in the state in an attempt to shred their credibility in the run up to the November 21 bypoll to Warangal LS constituency.

Addressing a public meeting at Hanamkonda, KCR minced no words in ridiculing Congress, TDP and BJP leaders who have been campaigning in the constituency for the past few days. The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi has fielded Pasunuri Dayakar as its candidate for the bypoll. The meeting was attended by several ministers and TRS legislators.

Though the chief minister spoke about various programmes taken up by the government such as Mission Kakatiya, drinking water supply and uninterrupted power supply to agriculture, he dwelt at some length on the issue of farmers' suicides. "Before the TRS came to power, farmers had to stand in long queues to buy seeds and fertilizers. This government ensured that these were freely available. The suicides are a result of the policies of the previous governments of Congress and TDP," KCR said.

He also accused the opposition parties of paying money to some cotton farmers and encouraging them to set fire to their crops in a bid to malign the TRS government. He blamed the opposition for the recent slipper-throwing incident during deputy CM Kadiyam Srihari's meeting. "Some media also has a role in this. The opposition resorts to such dramas to fool voters in Warangal," KCR said.

Calling on voters to elect Dayakar with a huge majority, he said Congress leader K Jana Reddy had sold himself for a ministerial berth in unified AP. "He (Jana Reddy) launched the Telangana Forum when he was denied a berth in the ministry by the then chief minister K Vijayabhaskar Reddy and sought my support. I sent him back saying you do not have the welfare of Telangana at your heart but only want to be a minister. Sure enough, a few days later, he was made agriculture minister and then disbanded the forum," KCR said. He also criticised former Union minister S Jaipal Reddy for not doing anything worthwhile for the Telangana cause during his term as central minister.

Turning his attention to the BJP, KCR asked state BJP president G Kishan Reddy to recollect what his party leader and Union minister Venkaiah Naidu had said recently. KCR said, "Venkaiah Naidu said that the central government, which was in power for the past 17 months, did not possess Alladin's magic lamp to solve all challenges instantly. So does Kishan Reddy expect the TRS government to have one? If the all-powerful central government says it cannot do everything overnight, how can a state government perform miracles?"

"If I have spoken lies, then punish me. If not, then teach the opposition parties a lesson by ensuring Dayakar's victory," he said.

BJP: Mani Shankar Aiyar, Salman Khurshid behaving as ISIS propagandists

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday labelled Congress leaders Mani Shankar Aiyar and Salman Khurshid as propagandists for the ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) following their very public criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"While the world is getting together against terrorism, the Prime Minister's words and agenda to fight terrorism have been accepted the world over. It is in this context the G20 summit has happened. 130 people have been killed in Paris on an open assault to civilization and it seems that these people (Congress) are behaving and conducting themselves as propagandists for ISIS and Taliban," BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi told media here.

"When it comes to condemnation atleast Azam Khan's statement was condemned by Samajwadi Party(SP) and they disassociated with it completely, but Congress party has chose to not do so in this context against Salman Khurshid and Mani Shankar Aiyar," she added.

Mani Shankar Aiyar who went to Pakistan before the Bihar assembly polls courted a controversy by saying that Islamabad should help India in defeating Prime Minister Modi and ensure that the Congress is back at the Centre.

Khurshid also during his visit to Islamabad said: "India has not responded to Pakistan's overtures for peace in South Asia the way it should have. If you look back at the first face-to-face between our PMs, your PM took a brave, farsighted decision. What we said and did made things uncomfortable for Pakistan after the visit of Nawaz Sharif at Modi's swearing-in ceremony."

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Set for Domestic Cricket Comeback After Eight Years

Bengaluru: India's limited overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is all set to feature in domestic cricket after a gap of eight years as he is likely to play for Jharkhand in the Vijay Hazare Trophy next month in case the Pakistan series does not happen.
Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) secretary Rajesh Verma said that the star cricketer has expressed his desire to play for the state team.
"We have spoken to Dhoni and he has said that in all likelihood he will be available (if there's no Pakistan series) to play for Jharkhand in Vijay Hazare Trophy. We have not discussed as to how many matches he will play or whether he would like to lead the side. But if he wants obviously, he will lead the side," Verma told PTI over phone from Ranchi.
Dhoni last played for Jharkhand in the 2007 East Zone leg of Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Championship in Kolkata after the Indian team made an inglorious exit from the group stage of the 2007 World Cup.
"His presence obviously will be a great boost for the boys. Whenever Dhoni has got an opportunity, he has had encouraging words for the boys. Only day before I saw him training at the main stadium alone. Right now the senior team is in Tripura for Ranji Trophy," Verma said.
What seems to have brought about this opportunity for Jharkhand is the fact that Dhoni no longer plays Test cricket. The last international he played was an ODI against South Africa on October 25.
With no clarity on the series against Pakistan, India's next assignment is the limited overs series in Australia in mid-January.
If Pakistan series does not happen, Dhoni would have been out of match practice for close to three months. The 50-over matches against first-class sides will at least allow him to get some match time before he goes Down Under.

Story first published on: Tuesday, 17 November 2015 19:46 IST

Imran Khan's Ex-Wife Reham Khan Admits She Felt Stifled in Marriage

Islamabad: Two weeks after Imran Khan's second marriage ended in a divorce in just 10 months, Reham has spoken out, claiming that she was told that she should be making chapatis in the kitchen and not to be seen outside.
The Pakistani cricket legend-turned-politician and the 42-year-old TV journalist announced their decision to split on October 30 amid reports that Imran objected to her meddling in politics. (Imran Khan Divorces Second Wife Reham Khan, Is he Seeing Jemima Again?)
The 62-year-old Imran's marriage to Reham was his second after his first marriage with English heiress Jemima Goldsmith for nine years ended in divorce in June, 2004.
Reham Khan, a divorced mother of three, left a job on regional BBC news and moved back to Pakistan in 2013. (How Imran Khan Divorced his Wife Reham Khan)
"I was told specifically by a senior adviser: they basically wanted me to be in the kitchen, to be cooking chapatis and not to be seen ever again," Reham told Sunday Times.
Reham said as soon as she and her youngest daughter moved into Imran's mansion in Bani Gala, on a hilltop overlooking Islamabad, she felt stifled.
Her career was a constant problem, particularly when she became an "ambassador for street children" in Peshawar.
"There wasn't any involvement, I never attended meetings or anything of the sort, but obviously there was insecurity," Reham said.
Reham said she gave up her television show to avoid a conflict of interest and did not work for several months.
But she still upset Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) early on when a journalist questioned her about problems in her first marriage. Asked in an interview if she had been the victim of domestic abuse, she "didn't want to lie" and said yes.
"I answered as diplomatically as I could, being a politician's wife," she told the paper.
But the media storm that followed upset Imran's party. Imran's response was silence, she said.
"I was told not to defend myself, to let it die down," she said. But the "attacks escalated". Although Imran knew about her past, she thinks it took its toll on him: "I don't know if he was surprised by it, but he was affected by it."
She said guests to Imran's home were never fed and Imran was surviving on "one chapati a day".
Imran was not, she thinks, quite prepared for married bliss.
"I tried to talk to him. I'm very talkative and I'm very chatty but, you know, you can't exactly with Imran Khan. You can't discuss the colour of the curtains; you can only talk politics. You cannot exactly discuss Bollywood films with him. God knows I tried," she said.
Reham said she plans to continue her work with street children in Pakistan, is producing two films.
"I have to make up for loss of income. I married a man who convinced me that he loved me, who looked lonely and who I thought had the same ideas about life and the same goals, but we were just too different," she said.

Story first published on: Monday, 16 November 2015 13:13 IST