S P O T L I G H T

Injured people are seen making their way from the remains of the Chechen government building in Grozny, following explosions in this frame grab taken on Friday from an NTV footage.  — Reuters photo

40 die in Chechen govt HQ blast
Moscow, December 27
Chechen rebel suicide bombers rammed vehicles packed with a tonnes of explosives into the local government headquarters in Grozny today, gutting the building and killing at least 40 persons. Two huge explosions went off within a minute of each other, devastating the four-storey government building, gutting rows of official vehicles and spewing debris over a wide area. Television pictures showed bodies scattered on the frozen ground as small groups of dazed staff and security personnel, blood pouring from head wounds, staggered towards medical crews. “There are a lot of casualties, they’re endless,” Raisa, a journalist with Grozny television told Reuters by telephone. Reuters

4 held in Dec 2 blast case
Mumbai, December 27
Four persons, including a lecturer of a government medical college, were today arrested by Crime Branch police on charges of planning and executing a bomb blast in suburban Ghatkopar on December 2 in which two persons were killed and 31 injured. The accused were produced in “burkha” before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate N.M. Gosavi, who remanded them in police custody till January 3. The four are Mohammed Abdul Mateen Abdul Baseed (28), Sayeed Khwaja Yunus Sayeed Khwaja Ayub (28), Shaikh Mohammed Muzamil Zamil Ahmed (27) and Zaheer Ahmed Bashir Ahmed Shaikh (27). PTI

Nod to six Bills
New Delhi, December 27
Six legislations, including a Bill to provide for more stringent punishment for unauthorised and illegal termination of pregnancies, have been given the presidential assent. PTI