The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	All on board killed in Russian plane crash in Indonesia Cigombong (Indonesia), May 10 All of the dozens aboard a Russian Sukhoi passenger jet flying on a sales promotion trip in Indonesia were killed when the plane slammed into a mountain, officials said today. Rescuers who reached the remote site found bodies scattered near the wreckage of Russia's first post-Soviet civilian plane on the sheer face of Mount Salak, outside the city of Bogor, south of Jakarta, officials said. "We entered the area... and found the dead bodies, but we cannot say about the number," said Gagah Prakoso, spokesman for the national search and rescue agency. "We haven't found any survivors," he said. The twin-engine Superjet 100 vanished from radar screens yesterday, 50 minutes into what was meant to be a short flight to show off its capabilities to prospective buyers as Russia tries to rebuild its civilian jet industry. Reports of the number on board varied, with local rescue officials saying the plane was carrying 46 people and Trimarga Rekatama, the company responsible for inviting the passengers, saying 50 were on board. Those aboard were mostly Indonesian aviation representatives, but also included eight Russians — four of them crew and four Sukhoi employees — plus an American and a Frenchman, officials said. They said a helicopter pilot spotted the plane's debris after rescuers resumed their operation at first light today, locating one part with the Sukhoi logo on the sheer face of Mount Salak, a dormant volcano. Devastated relatives of those aboard the ill-fated aircraft had gathered at Halim Perdanakusuma airport in Jakarta — used for military and some commercial flights — where the Sukhoi had taken off the day before. Some wept quietly as friends tried to console them, while others sat in shock, staring into the distance. Authorities took DNA samples to help in identification if remains were found. A teary-eyed Yenni Cipta, 38, recalled that when her father, an aviation worker, had said farewell, he had jokingly told her children: "Grandpa is going to a faraway place." Prakoso said evacuation of the bodies by helicopter was being hampered by bad weather. "The evacuation is still difficult. By land we'll need 12 hours and by helicopter it would take only 20 minutes, but the weather is impossible," a spokesman said. "We are preparing a helipad so that tomorrow morning, with clear weather, we can evacuate them." The Sukhoi Superjet, a new passenger aircraft, is crucial to Russia's hopes of becoming a major player in the modern aviation market, and the crash in Indonesia is the first disaster involving the type. The flight was part of an Asian tour to promote the plane, which is a joint venture between Sukhoi and Italy's Alenia Aeronautica. It made its first commercial flight last year. So far it is being flown by Russia's Aeroflot and Armenia's Armavia but orders have reportedly been confirmed with more, including Indonesia's Kartika Airlines and Sky Aviation. At the Jakarta airport, Susan Sepang, 50, clutched a framed photograph of her 30-year-old daughter, an employee of Sky Aviation who was aboard the plane, as a worker inserted a cotton swab in her mouth for a DNA test. — AFP
	Suicide bombings in Damascus kill 55 Damascus, May 10 At least 55 people were killed and more than 370 people, including military personnel, were wounded Thursday when two suicide bombers triggered massive blasts in the Syrian capital, the interior ministry said. The deafening explosions took place around 7.50 am in an area that houses a military intelligence complex, Xinhua reported. The suicide bombers riding booby-trapped vehicles detonated themselves, ripping off the facade of the compound and leaving twisted debris and burnt civilian cars. Around 1,000 kg of explosives were used in the bombing. The bombers targeted the military intelligence complex located near the intersection of al-Qazzaz area at al-Mutahaleq al-Janoubi highway that connects al-Mazzeh and Jaramana districts. Sources told Xinhua the two suicide bombers detonated themselves in front of the Palestine branch of the military intelligence complex. Another report said the attack occurred soon after a convoy of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) crossed a Syrian military checkpoint. There were no casualties among UN officials or damage to UN vehicles, but 10 Syrian soldiers were injured. The UNSMIS was founded by the UN Security Council in April to monitor a ceasefire in Syria and support the implementation of a peace plan proposed by UN special envoy Kofi Annan. The interior ministry said there were 15 bags of unidentified human parts. Ambulance workers used blankets and stretchers to carry bodies into vehicles. Women and children in the streets screamed out of fear, while passing cars raced out fearing the occurrence of a third explosion. Wailing sirens reverberated across the capital as Syrian security forces beefed up presence. The head of the UN Observers' mission, Major General Robert Modd, said the blast is "horrible". He said, "Terrorism doesn't pose a solution to the Syrian crisis." — IANS
	Be ready to do ‘bhangra’: Chishti to kin back home Karachi, May 10 Having been granted permission by the Indian Supreme Court to return to Pakistan, an elated Khalil Chishti, who is serving life term in a 20-year-old murder case in Rajasthan, today asked everyone back home to be ready to do the "bhangra". "I will be very happy when I come to Pakistan. Everyone should prepare to do the bhangra," 82-year-old microbiologist Chishti told Geo News channel on phone after the Supreme Court allowed him to visit Pakistan for a temporary stay, subject to certain conditions. Asked how he was feeling, he replied: "My health is fine. I am a heart patient and this excitement is (not good for me) but I will not let it affect my heart." Chishti said the first person he wants to meet on his return is his elder brother. "I have not met him for about 20 years. I want to go and offer my 'salam' to him," he said. He said he was not aware of the court's order as he was not present during today's hearing but he expected to leave for Pakistan in five to 10 days. His comments came after a bench of justices P Sathasivam and J Chelameswar said Chishti shall deposit his passport at the Indian High Commission in Pakistan and furnish as security Rs 5 lakh in cash within two weeks before the Supreme Court registry. The apex court directed that Chishti shall return to India by November 1, as it has decided to expedite the hearing of the appeal filed by him challenging his conviction in a murder case in Rajasthan. The family of the Pakistani microbiologist expressed happiness at the Indian SC allowing him to return home on humanitarian grounds. Chishti's daughter Shoha told the media that the family had been offering special prayers after hearing of the Indian court's order and preparing to welcome him. "Everyone is obviously very happy. Everyone is thanking Allah and my mother has offered special prayers of thanksgiving. There is a lot of excitement. We want him to come to Pakistan as soon as possible," Shoha said. She said there were "some legal matters" that have to be sorted out before her father's return. "Our lawyer will guide us about his bail and the bond to be submitted. We are hoping he will come soon," she said. Chishti has been ailing and is unable to walk without help. Earlier on May 4, the Indian Supreme Court had agreed to hear Chishti's plea to visit his country and had sought the Centre's response to it. Chishti had been granted bail by the apex court on April 9. Held guilty in a 20-year-old murder case, he had been serving life term in a Rajasthan's Ajmer jail. The apex court had granted bail to Chishti on humanitarian grounds, but had asked him not to leave Ajmer till further orders. In a personal letter sent to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last month, President Asif Ali Zardari asked for Chishti to be released and repatriated on humanitarian grounds. Zardari had also taken up the issue of Chishti with Singh during a meeting in New Delhi on April 8. Zardari met Singh over lunch while on a day-long private visit to India. — PTI
	US, Saudi intelligence penetrate Al-Qaida core Washington, May 10 Unable to do so in tribal tracts in Pakistan, US and Saudi intelligence agencies have successfully penetrated Al-Qaida network in the Arabian Peninsula and this helped American agencies to disrupt three major terror plots to explode passenger planes. The Saudi intelligence has emerged as a major ally of the US against Al-Qaida, with the collaboration appearing to have intensified over the past two years, the New York Times reported today. The new collaboration comes despite a long history of mistrust rooted in the role of Saudi hijackers in the 9/11 attacks on World Trade Centre. The crucial testing ground for the new partnership is Yemen where the Al-Qaida continues to plan attacks against Western targets even after the killing of its chief ideologue Anwar al-Maliki, an American-born firebrand cleric, in a drone strike in the Yemeni desert last September. Quoting Western intelligence sources, the paper said that the Saudi-US partnership appears to be a big success as even Middle-Eastern intelligence agencies have been unable to recruit agent within Al-Qaida affiliates, let alone within the tight-knit central core of the group. — PTI
	Pakistan tests Hatf III ballistic missile Afzal Khan in Islamabad Pakistan on Thursday conducted a training launch of Short Range Ballistic Missile Hatf III (Ghaznavi), which can carry nuclear and conventional warheads to a range of 290 kilometres. A statement by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the launch was conducted at the conclusion of the annual field training exercise of Army Strategic Force Command (ASFC) aimed at testing the operational readiness of a strategic missile group.
	3 alleged LeT terrorists surface at Lahore police station Afzal Khan in Islamabad Mumbai Police on Wednesday released photographs of three alleged terrorists, out of five, who, it claimed, belonged to banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and had entered Mumbai. The three appeared at a Lahore police station late at night and claimed they are present in Lahore, with two of them running businesses and one serving as a security guard at the city’s famed electronics market Hafeez Centre.
	Indian guilty of manslaughter of wife in Australia Melbourne, May 10 A 24-year-old Indian, who cut his wife's throat eight times with a box cutter and left her bleeding to death, has been found guilty of manslaughter by an Australian court which acquitted him of the murder charge. The New South Wales Supreme Court found Singh not guilty of murdering his 28-year-old wife Manpreet Kaur in their western Sydney home on the grounds he was provoked. — PTI
	Red Cross suspends most of its projects in Pakistan Islamabad, May 10 The Red Cross today suspended most of its projects in Pakistan and recalled all foreign staff to the federal capital following the brutal murder of a British aid worker in the restive Balochistan province. The International Committee of the Red Cross had frozen operations in Balochistan after the murder. The ICRC said it had now suspended activities carried out from offices in the northwestern city of Peshawar and the southern port city of Karachi. — PTI