Colombo, February 5
Having pushed back Tamil Tigers to a small stretch of northern coastline, Sri Lankan troops today captured the last Sea Tiger base in Chalai and are now closing in on the top commanders of LTTE.

Army tanks and infantry moved deep into the Sea Tiger base in Chalai region in northern Mullaittivu after killing four top LTTE leaders, including Vinayagam, number three in the hierarchy list of sea tigers.

“Our troops have just moved into Chalai. The capture would limit the sea tiger operations,” said Udaya Nanayakkara, military spokesman.

With the area under their control fast slipping, top LTTE commanders, according to army sources, have no option but to dig in for a battle or escape.

That Sri Lankan troops had almost reached the top brass of LTTE, sources said, was indicated by the fact that for the past few days security forces were having increasing encounters with the elite Black Tigers, which were supposed to be the most battle hardy and loyal suicidal squad of LTTE chief V Prabhakaran.

“Deputy LTTE sea tiger leader and three other leaders were killed in a fierce confrontation that took place in north of Chalai yesterday,” the army sources said. — PTI

Washington, February 5
US Special Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke does not have Kashmir on the agenda when he comes to India next week during a visit to the region and the focus will be on steps to ease the volatile situation in Afghanistan.

On his first visit to the region after being appointed by the Obama administration to work out strategies to deal with the volatile situation in Afghanistan and the Pak-Afghan border, Holbrooke during talks with Indian leaders will “listen,” among other things, to New Delhi's point of view and its perspective on Kabul.

The issues to be discussed with Indian leaders during Holbrooke’s trip, which is to cover India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, will remain confined to resolving the Afghan-Pak issue, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said.Kashmir is not on the agenda and would not be discussed, he told reporters yesterday.

When asked as to why Holbrooke was going to New Delhi, whereas India was not on his agenda, Wood said: “India is an important country in the region and has interest in Afghanistan.” Holbrooke wants to hear from the Indian government in terms of how it can better contribute to peace and stability in Afghanistan, he said. The exact dates and schedule of Holbrook's trip to South Asia has not been announced because of security considerations. Holbrooke, the spokesman said, had already left Washington for London - from where he would travel to Munich to participate in a security conference. From there he will head to Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, in that order. Wood said, “In essence this is an orientation trip. He’s not carrying any messages to any of these governments from either the Secretary (of State) or the (US) President. He’s not going there to lecture. He’s going there to listen.” Holbrooke will report to the Secretary of State and the US President once he is back from the region. — PTI

Jerusalem, February 5
Shoe-throwing appears to have become the latest fad among protesters, with the Israeli envoy to Sweden adding his name to the club of victims after ex-US President George W Bush and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

Israeli Ambassador Benny Dagan was delivering a lecture at the University of Stockholm on Wednesday on the Jewish state's recent military offensive in Gaza, ‘Operation Cast Lead’, when a 35-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman threw a shoe and a book at him, the media here reported today.

Both persons - who were apparently angry over the Israeli military offensive in Gaza that left nearly 1,300 Palestinians dead - were apprehended by the local police. “The incident is an expression of the atmosphere created by extreme elements and some of the media in Sweden, which are finding fertile soil for their baseless accusations against Israel to take root,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“This is not something that will deter me and prevent me from reaching out to the community in Sweden. As advocates of Israel, it is our duty to present Israel's just struggle. My public appearances are important for the many friends of Israel in Sweden,” the envoy said.

“My avoidance (of public events) and hiding is exactly the behaviour my enemies want,” Dagan said.

Israel's 22-day offensive in Gaza against Hamas, which also left hundreds of civilians including women and children dead, had evoked sharp responses in several parts of the world. The Jewish state justified it saying that it was done in self defence to stop the barrage of rockets fired on its southern communities and had vowed use of “disproportionate” force if the attacks continued, following the declaration of a unilateral ceasefire on January 18. — PTI

Multan (Pakistan), February 5
As many as 24 persons were killed and more than 50 wounded in a suspected suicide bombing near a Shi'ite mosque in central Pakistan today, the police said.

The attack in the city of Dera Ghazi Khan was the latest to rock the country, grappling with a growing wave of violence by militants linked to Al Qaida and the Taliban in the north-west.

The suspected bomber detonated the explosives when a religious procession of Shi'ites was passing the mosque.

“The latest count shows that 24 persons are dead,” district police chief Chaudhry Maqsood Ahmed told Reuters.

Jawed Mehmood Bhatti, district government official, earlier said the victims included four children and two women.

“According to eyewitnesses, nothing was thrown from outside.It looks as if someone was standing at the site of the blast and waiting for the procession and he blew himself up as the procession came close to him,” Bhatti added.

Witnesses said the powerful blast caused damage to the mosque and nearby buildings. Shi'ites are marking their annual 40-day period of mourning for Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad. — Reuters

London, February 5
Carla Bruni, the glamorous wife of President Nicolas Sarkozy, has sold her family’s castle in Italy for $11.5 million, fuelling speculation that the French First Lady may never return to her native land.

Carla, who had the reputation of a “man eater”, seems to have settled down well with the flamboyant President. One year after her marriage to the French leader, it seems Carla saw it as an opportune time to liquidate the major family asset near the city of Turin to an Arab sheikh.

“Yes, we have finally found a buyer,” said mother Marisa Bruni Tedeschi. “After all, we had finished with Castagneto Po, nobody went there any more,” she was quoted as saying by the Italian daily La Stampa. The property, jointly owned by Carla, her mother and her sister, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, has been repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt over centuries.

The 40-room, 1,500-square-metre residence and grounds were bought by billionaire industrialist heir and father Alberto Bruni Tedeschi in 1952. The furniture and fittings of the residence had already sold for $12.8 million at a London auction, the report said.

Even as Carla has charmed people around the world with a well-calibrated Gallic mix of dynamism and demure, she may still have a major public relations problem on her hands in her native Italy. — PTI