Now that Osama bin Laden's dead, who are Al Qaeda's most wanted leaders?

Read it on cnn.com

The Daily Beast's David A Graham reports why having Hamza bin Laden on the loose could be dangerous.

Hamza was supposed to be a dead man. As the Obama administration made jubilant remarks in the wake ofOsama bin Laden's death, counterrorism adviser John Brennan told reportersthat the young man had been killed alongside his father...

But then the story changed

China today dismissed as "absurd" reports that it had sought access from its all-weather friend Pakistan to the wreckage of the US secret stealth-modified helicopter, which had crashed during the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden in his Abbottabad hideout.

Asked about reports that China had either sought access or already seen the wreckage to study the design of the chopper which was for the first time used by the US military, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Jiang Yu, told reporters that it was "absurd," declining to say anything further.

Declan Walsh in The Guardian asks, what we hope is a rhetorical question: Whose side is Pakistan's ISI really on? He says the ISI has been accused of supporting Al Qaeda and double-dealing with the CIA.

At the same time the ISI, Pakistan's powerful intelligence service, is being targeted by Islamist extremists.

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For those of us who have watched the film, Escape from Sobibor, here's a connect.

A German court found John Demjanjuk guilty today, of helping to kill 27,900 Jews at the Nazi death camp Sobibor during the Holocaust.

The Munich court sentenced the 91-year-old to five years in prison as an accessory to mass murder as a guard at the Polish camp during World War II. Defense attorneys had said during the 18-month trial they would appeal any guilty verdict, says a Reuters report.

The legend of the Dark Lord gets more meat after his death.

A Pakistani paper, which calls itself the Pakistan Observer has published this report today. We quote:

Information collected from various sources and pieced together gives altogether a different turn to the Abbottabad episode and this scribe now tends to believe that the slain Osama bin Laden was captured and killed some years ago by the US forces and was brought in a coffin to Abbottabad on the night between May Ist and 2nd and "killed.'

Some reports suggest that the body of the dead Osama was lying in a morgue specially erected by US Army in a small safe house at the Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan for the last few years and as per CIA's plan, he was now "captured' from a place inside Pakistan and "killed' at the "appropriate time'.

The body of frozen Osama was brought to Abbottabad by a helicopter under the most sophisticated and hi-tech operation and taken to the upper storey of the building. A commando immediately sprayed a blood-like solution at his face to establish that the leader of Al-Qaeda was killed on the spot.

Read more of the fairy tale

The UPA government asnnounced that it planned to bring a Bill to amend the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, in the coming monsoon session of Parliament. This obviouslycame after the Prime Ministers' assurance in the wake of a week-long agitation in Greater Noida, Agra, Aligarh and other parts of the western UP by farmers who are protesting against the acquisition of their land for the Yamuna Express Highway.

As per the amendment, the government draft seeks to provide compensation to the farmers at the market rate in a 70:30 proportion. It implies that 70 per cent of the land should be directly bought at the market price by the private party promoting a project, while the government will only acquire 30 per cent of the land.

Just in: The CBI will move the Bhopal Sessions Court for an early hearing in the Bhopal gas disaster case for slapping graver charges on the accused.

Addressing a presser, home minister P Chidamabram admitted, "It would be naive on my part not to admit that public outcry played a part in the CBI filing a curative petition in the Supreme Court on the issue.

Chidambaram also announced that the Land Acquistion Bill would be tabled in the next sesssion of Parliament.

Amar Singh admitted that the voice in the CD was his, but said since his phone being tapped for a year, the people behind it had a "bank" of his voice samples which were "concocted and doctored" to create the CDs.

He said contrary to expectations, he was happy that the gag order has been lifted. "I am not a saint. But I am neither a villain as is being projected," he said.

Former SP leader Amar Singh today spoke to the media, a day after the Supreme Court allowed his tape transcripts to be outed.

Amar Singh today claimed that the CDs containing his purported conversations with politicians, Bollywood stars and corporate honchos were "concocted". He also claimed that the Supreme Court order lifting gag order on their broadcast and publication would encourage people to use illegal means tap private conversations in the future.

The Supreme Court yesterday lifted the five-year old gag on CDs containing his his tapped conversations in which he is heard talking to politicians, bollywood stars and corporate bigwigs and purportedly fixing deals.

Details of what happened when M Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi was questioned by Income Tax authorities today. Kani was grilled for about 90 minutes over the Rs 200 crore transaction from Shahid Balwa-owned DB Realty to Kalaignar TV, in which she holds a minority stake.

The 43-year-old MP appeared after summons were issued by the department, as a Delhi court probing the 2G spectrum allocation exempted her from personal appearance for two days -- tomorrow and Saturday.

IT officials said they may question her again if required. Kalaignar TV Managing Director Sharad Kumar was also questioned.

Meanwhile, an amazing six in 10 Americans find it was wrong to celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden, says a poll. Around 60 per cent of Americans believe the Bible's admonition not to "rejoice when your enemies fall" applies to how Americans should react to bin Laden's death.

And more than 8-in-10 (82 per cent) Americans agree that bin Laden distorted the teachings of Islam to suit his own purposes.

Even as Pakistan has offered conditional access to Osama's widows, friend of a son of the slain Al Qaeda leader says US investigators may get some information from one of his wives, who is a teacher and "highly educated". But would be "hard pressed" to get details from the others.

Jean Sasson, who had helped Osama's son Omar (missing since the Abbottabad raid) write a memoir, 'Growing Up Bin Laden', said the wives were "confined" and "all business" was kept away from them.

"If they (wives) even asked him, he would refuse to discuss it," Sasson told CNN.

Sasson said women in Osama's household were not allowed to see or meet with any person who came to visit him.

"If any man came into the house to meet with them, these women would not have been allowed to see them, know who they were or show their faces. But (living) with him in the house in close quarters, there's an opportunity that they would know more of the comings and goings."

Sasson said the wives, who are in Pakistani custody since the May 2 raid that killed bin Laden, may only be able to share "a few tidbits" with authorities.

In Syria, protests continue unabated.

Today, Syria's security forces quashed a town-by-town dissent by a mass round-up of opposition leaders. Thousands of students defied the crackdown to stage a protest in Syria's second-largest city Aleppo yesterday before being dispersed by baton-wielding loyalists and security force personnel, a rights activist said.

At least 19 civilians were killed yesterday as troops and unknown gunmen assaulted protest hubs across the country, shelling and firing on some and encircling others with tanks.

Between 600 and 700 people have been killed and at least 8,000 arrested since the start of the protest movement in mid-March, human rights groups say.

Details of the PM's arrival in Afghanistan.

President Hamid Karzai received Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Kabul today, saying, 'Welcome to your second home'. Singh, who arrived earlier on a two-day visit to the Afghan capital, was given a ceremonial reception by the Afghan Police, the Army and the Air Force in the grand presidential palace -- The Arg.

The Prime Minister, in turn, described India and Afghanistan as 'partners in progress'. "It is always a great honour and privilege to visit you. That you have invited me to visit is an honour to entire people of India.

"India and Afghanistan are partners in progress and we will stand by you through thick and thin, and we reaffirm our solidarity with the people and government of Afghanistan," he told the Afghan president at the reception at the palace.

Warm welcome for PM Manmohan Singh in Afghanistan. President Karzai tells him, welcome to your second home, while the PM tells him we will stand by you through thick and thin.

The MEA's Vishnu Prakash tweets: A ceremonial welcome was accorded to the PM by President Karzai on a glorious sunny day in Kabul.

Dr Manmohan Singh's visit to Kabul assumes more importance in the wake of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's death. During his visit, Dr Singh is expected to reassure Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai that India is a friend who is determined to support their endeavour for stability in the region. Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt is part of the prime minister's media entourage to Afghanistan. Stay with us for her dispatches.

Apparently, Tihar jail has a professional cricket squad and a certain Jacob Martin who is currently lodged there for alleged human trafficking, is set to make a comeback to the gentleman's game. Former telecom minister A Raja can join up, a new career option seems imminent.

Only in India.

In a shocking incident, seven patients in a maternity ward of the district hospital in Amravati, Maharashtra, were administered phenyl instead of a dose of medicine.

Following this, the women began vomitting and complained of stomach ache. All them had recently delivered children and were to be discharged soon. Luckily, the women are out of danger now.

Senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh is delivering a fiesty rhetoric on the UP-Delhi border on thefarmers'agitation inGreater Noida. He has already begun his hunger strike in support of the farmers. Says there is police repression under Mayawati, maximum incidents of police firing under her.

Tamasha seems strikingly similar to the film, Peepli Live.

Maya presser is still on. Excerpts...

• If Rahul wants to help he should fight in his home (?).
• Opposition parties are conspiring against BSP ahead of Assembly elections
• Those breaking the law will not be spared.
• Cong, BJP never took the initiative in land acquisition.

What the Pakistan press is saying about PM's visit to Afghanistan.

This is from the Pakistani paper The International News:

It says: After restricting the flow of waters in the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers by building hydropower projects on these rivers, India seems poised to intensify the water war against Pakistan with a plan to build 12 hydropower projects on the Kabul River in Afghanistan.Indian experts are extending help to Afghanistan to build 12 dams on the Kabul River with a total water storage capacity of 4.7 Million Acre Feet (MAF), 25% more than that of Mangla Dam.

Read more

UP CM Mayawati, reading from a prepared speech (no thunder, no bluster) says, the Congress is spreading lies and the Opposition parties are creating unrest, law and order problems, misleading the people.

She says the allegations of land grabbing are false, and the farmers were in fact, given adequate compensation and the land was sold voluntarily.In other words, she says the farmers' protests are not about compensation, but doesn't elaborate.

Right this minute: UP CM Mayawati's press conference in Lucknow.

And...

DMK MP Kanimozhi appears before Income Tax Departmentofficials in Chennai.

Aha! Finally, word from Bipasha Basu on her alleged conversation with former SP leader Amar Singh, part of the now outed tapes.

Bipasha Basutweets:

Pls request u all to go n hear d conversation 1st n then if u still think its me, I openly challenge anyone to prove it is me!

A celeb takes beatings of all kinds but if my dignity is challenged,I am ready to take this issue up in a stronger manner

Yesterday, reports said Nato was unsure whether Libya's Col Muammar Gaddafi was alive as he had not made any public appearance in two weeks.

But today, Libya's state TV has shown footage of Gaddafi meeting tribal leaders in Tripoli - his first public appearance in nearly two weeks. The bbc.co.uk quotes Libyan officials saying that the video was shot in the capital yesterday, but has not been verified.

Col Gaddafi has not been seen since 30 April - when a Nato strike killed his youngest son and three grandchildren.

Just in: Congress workers have been lathicharged outside the Lucknow Assembly. UP Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi has been taken into preventive custody. It may be remembered she, Rahul Gandhi and Digvijay Singh were at the Greater Noida yesterday after they hijacked the farmers' protests.

Back to our favourite, the late, not lamented, Osama Bin Laden. Apparently,a diary noting says Osama actually calculated how many Americans would have to be killed to force the US from the Middle East.

The entries appear in his seized journal and other files, reports bbc.co.uk. The Al Qaeda leader reportedly wrote that smaller attacks since 9/11 were not having the desired impact.

Bin Laden also urged his followers to strike smaller cities and hit trains. The documents were seized during last week's US raid on Bin Laden's hideout in Pakistan in which he was killed.

While India slept, a hundreds of people spent the night outdoors in the southern Spanish town of Lorca after an earthquake killed at least 10 people last evening.

The magnitude-5.2 tremor toppled several buildings after striking at a depth of just 1km, 120-km south-west of Alicante. Lines of cars lay crushed under tonnes of rubble and a hospital was evacuated as a precaution, reports bbc.co.uk.It is not clear how many people were injured, although Spanish media say there are dozens.

It's been six years since Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Afghanistan. Today, as he leaves for his two-day visit to Kabul to discuss terrorism, regional development and ways to step up India's assistance to the war-torn country, the PM has emphasised that his discussions with President Hamid Karzai will slo cover regional developments and the fight against terrorism.

National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and Prime Minister's special envoy to Afghanistan Satinder Lamba and other senior officials were accompanying the Prime Minister.

"Obviously, the situation post-killing of Osama is something of concern to all of us and we would also like to hear what President Karzai has to say about it," the sources said while maintaining that India's concerns over reconciliation with the Taliban have not "gone away" with the killing of bin Laden.

Good morning. Rahul Gandhi had a headstart and he did it in style -- the AICC general secretary, as you may well know, rode pillion into the farmers' protest at Bhatta Parsaul in Greater Noida at 4 am on Wednesday. He's still there.

Jumping into thefray, now is BJP leader Rajnath Singh, whohas also calledfor UP CM Mayawati's resignation. Incidentally, Rahul was taken into protective custody last night and released on bail shortly after.

PM Manmohan Singh is on his way to Afghanistan on a two-day visit to shore up ties.He isexpected to announce an aid package.

Stay with us for all the news today.