New York, January 18
A 34-year-old Indian immigrant, who allegedly set afire his two sons, will be charged with first-degree murder and aggravated arson, officials said after one of his kids succumbed to his injuries.

Kaushik Patel, a resident of US, was suspected of dousing Om (4) and Vishv (7), in gasoline and setting them afire at their home in Glendale Heights on November 18, when their mother was away.

Om, who suffered serious burn injuries, died yesterday after two months at a hospital.

His father, who too suffered burns, would be arrested and charged with first-degree murder and aggravated arson once he was released from the hospital, which could be next week, said DuPage County State’s Attorney Joseph Birkett.

“We’ve alerted the (police) chief and the jail’s medical staff, to be ready for him,” Birkett was quoted as saying by the Chicago Tribune.

Om died the same day but Vishv remained in critical but stable condition in the burn unit, said a hospital spokesman.

The boys’ mother, Nisha Patel, was granted an order of protection on December 18 to keep Kaushik away from the children, and it was extended for another month on January 10.

The police, who had been maintaining around-the-clock security at the hospital, was hoping to interview Om. But he never regained consciousness after doctors placed him in a drug-induced coma. Officers said they had already interviewed Vishv, his mother and his father, finding “nothing that could have foretold the occurring.” — PTI

Washington, January 18
The Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has admitted that she had felt humiliated and embarrassed by her husband Bill Clinton’s cheating, but “never doubted Bill’s love for me”. In one of her most candid talks, 10 years after the scandal, Hillary said she was humiliated, when it emerged that her husband had cheated Miss Lewinsky a White House intern. However, the presidential candidate admitted that she knew all along that her husband loved her.

“I never doubted Bill’s love for me ever and I never doubted my faith and my commitment to our daughter and our extended family,” Hillary told US talk show host Tyra Banks. The then US President Clinton initially swore under the oath that he “did not have sexual relations” with Lewinsky but later admitted that he had misled the American public.

Asked on the talk show if she was embarrassed by her husband’s affair with Lewinsky, Hillary said, “Sure, all of that. But I was just praying so hard and thinking so hard about what’s right to do that I couldn’t let anything else interfere with that.” Hillary told Banks that women whose husbands had cheated on them often asked her what they should do, but she argued that every case was unique.

“I say you have to be true to yourself. No story is the same as any other story,” she said. — PTI

London, January 18
Queen Elizabeth II has offered use of the chapel at her Windsor Castle residence to hold a memorial service for sir Edmund Hillary, to his family, her office said today.

The service would be held at Saint George’s Chapel in April and Hillary’s family would be invited to an audience with the queen afterwards, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

The news that Hillary, alongside Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, had become the first man to climb Mount Everest, was made public on the day of the queen’s coronation in 1953 and he was knighted by her shortly afterwards.

She met him repeatedly in the following years, most recently in 2004 at a ceremony in Windsor. The queen was “very saddened” to hear of Hillary’s death on January 11, a royal official said, and sent a personal message of sympathy to his family.

Windsor Castle, just west of London, is the queen’s weekend home and is reportedly her favourite residence. Saint George’s Chapel, which is within its grounds, is the burial place of 10 monarchs and hosted a service of blessing when heir to the throne Prince Charles married his wife Camilla in 2005. — AFP

Snubbed by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf,Asif Ali Zardari has written to United Nations secretary- general Ban Ki-moon urging him to initiate an "international investigation" into Benazir Bhutto's assassination.

Zardari told Ban the investigation process in Pakistan "suffers from serious flaws and interference from powerful figures in the establishment." He said the Pakistani authorities "have neither the capacity nor the commitment to reach a satisfactory and credible conclusion which is evident from the fact that the security services of Pakistan failed to provide adequate protection to Benazir Bhutto.Otherwise, it would not have led to her assassination ."

Zardari,who now jointly co-chairs the Pakistan People’s Party with his son, Bilawal , said, "it is not possible for the security services of Pakistan to carry out either an impartial or credible investigation into the assassination of Bhutto which will lead to the truth being uncovered and bring the people who are behind this heinous crime to justice."

Musharraf, while expressing reservations about the investigation, has refused to allow a U.N. probe. Zardari, however, said even detectives from Scotland Yard would not be able to reach "any definite and credible conclusion as they are working with limited powers under the control, guidance and supervision of the Pakistani authorities, and with inability to effectively access all of the evidence."

Zardari said the findings of a U.N. inquiry panel "will be credible in the eyes of the Pakistani people." In his letter, Zardari says, "According to a Russian newspaper report, it is possible that multiple sniper teams were used to kill Bhutto using long -range sniper rifles with laser guidance followed by rocket- propelled grenades to destroy evidence of assassination as no evidence was found of a suicide bomber."

Zardari sent copies of the letter to the U.N. representatives of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council - the U.S., Britain, France, China and Russia.He also wrote to Senator Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican who is the co-chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

President Pervez Musharraf has said Pakistan can do without US aid but would not yield to any pressure.

Referring to reports and demands by certain congressional leaders that US aid to Pakistan be made conditional, the President said so far the country had received $9.5 billion, of which $5.5 billion went towards reimbursing services provided (to Allied Forces).

"If no payment is made, no services will be provided”, he said. He blamed the US media for distorted anti-Pakistan reports but said the officials who talked to him gave a different impression. He regretted that much of the material published abroad was drawn from the Pakistani media.

Musharraf said he was determined to hold free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections. The spate of terrorist acts would not be allowed to disrupt the electoral process, he added.