Missing Hindu nurse’s parents’ pleas in Pak falling on deaf ears

Karachi, Sep.18 (ANI): Family members of the Hindu nurse, Bano, who disappeared from Karachi last month under mysterious circumstances, have urged the government to step into the issue and direct the concerned authorities to pursue the matter seriously to find out her whereabouts.

Bano’s uncle and the head of the Hindu Maheshwari community, Narain Das feared that her niece could have been killed or forced to convert her religion.

“The incidents of kidnapping our community girls’ have recently increased alarmingly and despite our repeated protests and approaches to the higher authorities, nothing has so far been done to protect the community members. Kidnappers have recently kidnapped several girls as young as thirteen and fourteen years old,” Das said.

The police has arrested Gulzar, who worked with Bano in the hospital, but failed to gather any substantial report regarding her whereabouts.

Gulzar has told officials that Bano has accepted Islam and married her boyfriend Jaffer, but Bano’s parents fear she has been murdered.

When enquired about the issue, Provincial Minister for Minority Affairs Dr Mohan Lal said he would look into matter and issue guidelines to concerned authorities.

“I would personally talk to the police authorities and will ensure her release as soon as possible,” The Daily Times quoted Lal, as saying. (ANI)

Suspected Jakarta bombing ‘mastermind’ was trained in Pak

Jakarta, Sep.9 (ANI): In yet another case which determines that terror is Pakistan’s principle export, it has been revealed that the prime suspect of the July 2009 Jakarta hotel attacks received military training in Pakistan.

Indonesia’s national police chief General Bambang Hendarso Danuri disclosed that Mohamad Jibril, who allegedly provided funds for the terror group responsible for the bombings, received training in Pakistan during 1999-2000.

“Jibril received military training from several Jemaah Islamiyah activists for about a year, from 1999- 2000,” Bambang told the House of Representatives.

“The training was conducted in Pakistan while he was studying there,” he added.

Mohamad Jibril alias Mohamad Rizky Ardhan alias Muhammad Jibriel Abdul Rahman was arrested two weeks ago.

He is believed to have played a key role in raising funds for the terrorist group led by Noordin Top, who belongs to Malaysia.

The Indonesian police suspect that the money was coming from Middle Easte countries such as Saudi Arabia and Yemen, however, it is yet to arrive on any conclusion.

Officials said they are still working to find more solid evidence against Jibril, who was nabbed after his cell phone number was found in Ali Muhammad bin Abdullah’s mobile phone.

Ali is a Saudi Arabian who was arrested a few days before Jibril, the jihadwatch.org reports.

It has also been revealed that Jibril’s uncle, Irfan S Awwas, was the chairman of a radical Islamic organization , Indonesia Mujahidin Council (MMI). (ANI)

Uncle Sam serves up tax bill to Philippoussis

Melbourne, Sep.6 (ANI): Tennis ace Mark Philippoussis is being chased by the US taxman and has sold his Williamstown family home to avoid having it repossessed.

It has now emerged that the US Internal Revenue Service has pursued the Scud for about 1.4 million dollars during the past decade.

US records show the IRS still wants about 500,000 dollars for tax debts dating back to 2003.

Philippoussis, who according to his mother is playing in a tournament in San Diego, revealed to the Sunday Herald Sun in May that his money was gone, he was depressed and he was battling to save the family home from repossession.

“Money came in left, right and centre; you just thought that’s how it was for everyone and that’s how it always will be,” he said at the time.

The Davis Cup hero put his Williamstown home on the market to avoid having it repossessed over his unpaid 1.3 million dollar mortgage, but it was passed in for 775,000 dollars in July.

Wayne Elly, of Hocking Stuart, yesterday confirmed Scud’s house had sold recently for about the asking price of 950,000 dollars.

Philippoussis once owned at least five properties in the US, selling the last one in 2005 at a loss.

Official US records suggest he still owes about 180,000 dollars for the 2004 financial year and about 317,000 dollars from 2003.

A former tax debt for about 918,000 dollars dating back to 2001 was satisfied in 2004, according to the Palm Beach County records office.

The IRS would not comment this week, but a US tax expert said the documents suggested the agency was confident it could recoup the debt. (ANI)

Joe Frazier thinks Wesley Snipes will be ‘good fit’ to portray his mentor

New York, September 3 (ANI): Former Olympic champion Joe Frazier may not be sure who should portray him a film on his life, but he does have some recommendation for the role of his uncle and mentor, Rock.

“Wesley Snipes would be a good fit,” the New York Post quoted him as saying.

Frazier is known for beating Muhammad Ali in their first bout, though he lost to the latter in twice later.

As regards any actors he would want to see portraying him in the film, the former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion said: “It would have to be someone that could accurately portray the struggles I went through to become heavyweight champ.” (ANI)

HIV+ kid, his siblings denied admission to a school

Allahabad (UP), Aug 28 (ANI): An eight-year-old child and his siblings carrying HIV positive virus were denied admission to a school in Belamundi, roughly 50 km from here.

Along with him, two of his siblings were also refused admission.

According to the school’s principal, he was forced by parents of other children studying in same school to dismiss them.

“Villagers were very much afraid of the HIV positive child and his siblings studying in the school. They were worried that their children too will get affected. So they built up pressure on us and asked us to dismiss them from school,” said Raghvendra Nath Tripathi, principal.

The plight of the three children does not end here. Their parents died of AIDS a few years ago and now they are staying with their uncle, who has little means to raise them.

“School authorities send away all three children from school and disallowed their entry inside the school. Children are now staying at home only. We are afraid if we try to send them again they might get furious and fight,” said Dharam Narayan Panda, child’s uncle.

This incident exposes the tall claims of the state and the Central Government that they are helping AIDS patients. By Virendra Pathak (ANI)

Ashes hero Trott is also a diehard Hotspur fan!

London, Aug.26 (ANI): The signed England shirt and cricket stump will not be the only mementoes on the walls of Jonathan Trott’s Birmingham home.They will be given equal billing alongside his other most-prized sporting possession, his autographed Tottenham top from manager Harry Redknapp.

Trott, whose brilliantly assured second-innings century on his Test debut helped lay the foundations for the triumph, is not just a cricket lover – he’s a Spurs nut.

And he was gobsmacked that Redknapp, boss of the current Premier League leaders, sent him a shirt as a wedding present when he tied the knot with Abi in April.

Trott said: “The shirt says ‘To Trotty, Up the Spurs, Harry Redknapp’. Then there’s a card from him which says ‘To Trotty. Have a Great Day’.

“I love Spurs, I’m a massive fan and it would be fantastic if they could get into the Champions League to go with us winning The Ashes.

“Even during the Test on Sunday, I caught the TV at lunchtime and checked on the Spurs line-up for the game against West Ham, just to make sure Harry got it right. I wanted to know the final score while I was fielding but I never did and only found out after we had won The Ashes.”

Trott now looks a certainty to make England’s tour to South Africa having proved how cool he is under pressure – despite Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting’s claim he could crumble.

His Spurs allegiance was passed on from his English-born dad Ian and, growing up in Cape Town, he never missed coverage of them.

“I had loads of pictures on my wall and I’ve got tons of old Spurs shirts. I used to walk round with ‘Sheringham’ on my back. The first time I saw Spurs live was at Birmingham in 2003. I was in the Spurs end, we lost 1-0 to David Dunn penalty.

Despite being born and schooled in South Africa, Trott considers himself a proper Englishman.

He added: “I had a British passport from birth and can remember travelling to England in 1996 with the South African Under-15 side.

“Everyone else needed a visa and I just walked straight in. Mind you, I had more trouble getting back into South Africa than anyone else.

“My dad was born in England, my parents live in Surrey and my uncle and granddad live in Kent.

“I didn’t come here as a young guy just to try and take the cash back to South Africa. My home is in Birmingham, I’m an adopted Brummie and I’m very proud.”

Trott’s favourite memory of the triumph is not actually his ton.

He added: “For the rest of my life I’ll remember fielding at deep point to Michael Hussey when he hit it to Andrew Flintoff.

“I had a perfect view. Freddie’s direct hit was phenomenal and to run out Ricky Ponting was the defining moment of the game.” (ANI)

MJ had mapped out his life’s next chapter: Nephew

London, Aug 24 (ANI): Michael Jackson’s nephew Taj has said that the King of Pop had mapped out the next chapter of his life.

Tito Jackson’s son said that his uncle was looking forward to the London concerts and planning a movie career ahead.

“He had his next chapter mapped out. He wanted to do this (tour) and get on to the next chapter. The last words he said to me were, ‘We’re gong to do film after this,’” the Daily Star quoted him as saying.

The former 3T singer took to the stand while testifying in the planned King of Pop memorabilia tour lawsuit, in a bid to back his grandmother Katherine’s opposition to the deal.

He also added that he was against burying the icon at Neverland Ranch as the star came to “hate” the estate following his 2005 child molestation trial.

He said: “Neverland was never an option to us. It brought so much pain to him.”

Jackson will be buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California on 3 September. (ANI)

Honour killings remain unchecked in Lahore

Lahore, July 6 (ANI): Honour killing seems to go on unchecked in Lahore as it claimed three lives in two incidents last week. It seems that it has become part and parcel of lives of Pakistanis.

On July 2, a newly married couple was killed in the name of ‘honour’ in the Barki police precincts. Ramazan shot dead Khalid and his wife Shamim, who had eloped and married without the consent of their families.

Ramazan was Shamim’s cousin and both had been engaged. The other incident took place on July 5, when a boy, Irfan, killed his uncle Shahadat Ali for marrying his mother after the death of his father in Kahna police precincts. Reportedly, Irfan considered the marriage a matter of ‘honour’.

In 10 weeks, nine people were killed in the name of ‘honour’ in the city. Among these incidents, on June 18, in Sabzazar police precincts, Iqbal killed his sister Adeeba (22) for having an alleged affair with a boy, the Daily Times reported.

The accused tried to hide the incident by shifting the body to some other city, but the police recovered the body after chasing the accused. On June 2, Nawaz of Ferozewala killed his sister Shehnaz Bibi, who was a mother of two, for having an affair with a man.

On May 26, Ahsan Elahi gunned down his wife Shazia in Liaquatabad police precincts. On April 20, Zulfiqar Khokhar of Green Town killed his sister Shahnaz (35) and niece Farah (18) for honour.

In Kahna, on April 16, a woman was killed by her in-laws in the name of ‘honour’. (ANI)

Mayawati Government gives permission to file chargesheet against Varun

New Delhi, July 3 (ANI): The Uttar Pradesh Government on Friday has given permission to file chargesheet against BJP MP Varun Gandhi for his ‘hate speech’ in Pilibhit.

The BJP MP is currently out on bail.

With reports of Mayawati Government considering the possibility of setting up a fast track court to expedite the trial, the BJP MP would need all his luck to get out of the problem this time.

For records, On June 25, a letter seeking permission to prosecute Varun under Section 153A of the IPC in cases pending against him in the CJM court was dispatched by Pilibhit administration to state home department (153A deals with acts designed to spread enmity between two sections of society).

UP police on March 17 had registered an FIR against BJP’s Varun Gandhi in Pilibhit under section 153A for allegedly making inflammatory remarks with communal overtones.

Earlier, a petition was filed today in the Allahabad High Court questioning the election of Varun Gandhi to the Lok Sabha form the Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh.

V M Singh, the Congress candidate who is the maternal uncle of Varun Gandhi, the loser in the recently concluded general election, has filed this petition.

Varun Gandhi had gained the votes by spreading hatred about a particular community by making inflammatory speeches, said Singh’s advocate U N Sharma.

Singh alleged that Varun’s mode of campaigning amounted corrupt practice as per section 123(3) of the Representation of Peoples Act.

Varun made his electoral debut from Pilibhit, which was earlier, represented by his mother Maneka Gandhi. Varun was arrested under National Security Act for allegedly making hate speeches in an election rally in Pilibhit. (ANI)

Varun Gandhi’s election to Lok Sabha challenged

Allahabad July 01 (ANI): A petition was filed today in the Allahabad High Court questioning the election of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Varun Gandhi to the Lok Sabha form the Pilibhit constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

V M Singh, the Congress candidate who is the maternal uncle of Varun Gandhi, the loser in the recently concluded general election, has filed this petition.

Varun Gandhi had gained the votes by spreading hatred about a particular community by making inflammatory speeches, said Singh’s advocate U N Sharma.

Singh alleged that Varun’s mode of campaigning amounted corrupt practice as per section 123(3) of the Representation of Peoples Act.

Varun made his electoral debut from Pilibhit, which was earlier, represented by his mother Maneka Gandhi. Varun was arrested under National Security Act for allegedly making hate speeches in an election rally in Pilibhit. (ANI)

Violence in Patna following murder of nine-year-old

Patna, May 30 (ANI): Murder of a nine-year old, who was allegedly kidnapped by his neighbours, triggered violent protest here.

Agitated local residents burnt tyres and raised slogans on Saturday to express their anguish over the murder of Satyam, the killed boy, allegedly kidnapped by two of his neighbours.

Anguished over the incident, local residents ransacked suspects’ shop and burnt tyres in the middle of the road to display their pain and anger.

According to Pankaj Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Satyam’s two neighbours, a grocery owner and his son have been arrested after they confessed to their crime before police.

“Satyam and Abhinav were two friends. Satyam used to visit his place often. One day the latter lured Satyam and took him along. He had planned his kidnapping a month ago and then murdered him. Abhinav had thought that he would show Satyam’s clothes to his parents and take money. After murdering him, he called from Kankarbagh booth and demanded ransom,” said Pankaj Kumar.

However, Satyam’s uncle complained that the police officials refused to file FIR earlier and had to approach the higher authorities. Only then action could be taken.

“They did not register our FIR and did not cooperate with us. When we went to higher authorities, they helped us. If on 28th itself police officials had helped us, my nephew would have been alive,” said Manish, Satyam’s uncle.

Satyam’s father Rajesh Kumar, a businessman received a ransom call for 50,00,000 rupees on Thursday night (May 28).

The boy’s decomposed body was recovered from a house on Saturday morning and the exact cause of death could be known only after post-mortem. (ANI)

Amritsar girl transforming lives of neglected children

Amritsar, May 30 (ANI): Many children of rickshaw-pullers, domestic helps, migrant labourers, and single or abandoned mothers in Amritsar have found an unusually young guardian who wants to transform their lives.

At first sight, the 22-year-old Pearl Jasra looks a bubbly, vivacious and the girl next-door. However, there is much more to her.

After losing her mother when she was just 12 and her father soon after, Jasra, made up her mind to develop strength and grit in life and help others like her.

Today, this orphan girl, is motivating and shaping up careers of various deprived children. It is because of her initiative that these once neglected children in Amritsar today have something to smile about.

“The people in urban society still look down upon the backward classes. Nobody cares about their needs and expectations from life. They also want to play with toys, go out and wear good clothes. The urban society has never lent a helping hand to them in their studies and education. Their attitude is changing,” said Pearl Jasra, who runs a special school for about children.

She enjoys teaching children about numbers, reciting poems and celebrating their birthdays and other festivals with them.

It is a gala time when about 92 children converge at her house in the evening to get their homework and share their feelings.

With the little resources that she has and her uncle’s help, Pearl persuaded some affluent families of the city to financially support children’s education.

Five years ago, she decided to organize the set up– Initiative for Viable Education.

Children, belonging to underprivileged class, comprising house maids, rickshaw-pullers and daily wage labourers, have been coming to her in increasing numbers.

Most of them are illiterate and come from a slum colony, located near her house. She carefully monitors their homework adding special emphasis on improving their communication skills.

Her organization, Initiative for Viable Education, has identified many families, comprising widows and other underprivileged, who would like to send their children to schools.

“She is doing a good work by helping poor people. There is nobody to teach them and her job is totally humanitarian. She even teaches kids who are poor and deprived,” said Tarachand, a local resident.

Her story finds a display in the K S Durlabhji calendar for 2009, published from Jaipur in Rajasthan. By Ravinder Singh Robin (ANI)

Andre ‘wants to reunite with Jordan for kids’

Washington, May 20 (ANI): Singer Peter Andre is thinking of giving his strained marriage with Katie Price another chance for the sake of their three kids, it has emerged.

Andre’s family feels he should reunite with Kate, alias Jordan, for the sake of their kids Junior, three, Princess Tiaámii, 23 months, and her six-year-old son Harvey.

He revealed to a pal: “I left Kate because at times she behaved like a complete tart, but this isn’t just about her or me.

“The most important thing in our lives are our children. It would be best if we were reunited.”

According to Andre’s uncle Michalis Violaris, who’s currently staying with him, family is putting pressure on Peter to give the marriage another try.

“The family wants them to get back together to how it used to be. But Peter is very confused. I cannot get inside his mind, but all the time he sits around the house thinking about it,” the Daily Star quoted Violaris as saying.

It is also said that Andre is finding it difficult to stay away from his kids and fears that Jordan might make it difficult for him to meet them if they split.

“When the separation was announced, at that stage in Peter’s mind it was definitely over and he was adamant nothing could persuade him to go back,” said an insider.

“He’s still resisting pressure to budge on that, but he’s yearning for the children. Good Cypriot families don’t really believe in divorce – especially when children are involved.

“Peter cannot bear the thought of not seeing his children and now he is in complete turmoil. He can live without Kate but not the children.

“If he was to have Kate back, there would have to be a massive change in her behaviour. She would have to stop her big nights out, to concentrate on being a good wife and mother,” the insider added.

Meanwhile, a top divorce lawyer has warned that Peter needs to avoid upsetting Kate.

“It’s in his interests to keep everything amicable and come to an agreement with Jordan over the children,” said lawyer Julie Ferguson. (ANI)

Prince Harry to pay for New York trip ‘out of his own pocket’

London, May 14 (ANI): Prince Harry will reportedly spare taxpayers thousands by paying for his trip to New York out of his own pocket.

The royal will raise money for his Aids charity Sentebale and is allegedly set to host a VIP dinner later this month, reports the Sun.

The 24-year-old will jet to the Big Apple along with a four-strong entourage in business class and the Queen will pick up the tab for his first foreign tour, as per reports.

Harry’s low-maintenance visit was said to be in a stark contrast to the pricey Stateside trips undertaken by his father Charles and uncle Andrew.

Charles and Camilla left a 330,000-pound bill after taking a private jet to New York four years ago, while Andrew raked up a 118,440 tab when he hired a plane to fly across the States last year. (ANI)

Divine intervention helped Drogba gain form

London, Apr 26 (ANI): Didier Drogba’s family is thanking divine intervention for helping restore him as the leading scorer of Chelsea.

Drogba is heading for a Champions League semi-final first leg in Barcelona on Tuesday with fans amazed by his comeback after being dumped by previous Blues boss Big Phil Scolari.

And uncle Michel Goba, the ex-pro who brought him up as a kid, believes the power of prayer has been at work.

“Only those close to him know how Didier had suffered this season. He had hit rock bottom. I remember watching him in a Premier League match at Liverpool on TV and he hardly touched a ball. Even when he did, he could not control it,” Goba said.

“His father Albert and I are very religious men. It was God who gave me the idea of bringing Didier from his Ivory Coast home as a child when I went to play football in France.

“Didier proved his resilience then and has done so many times over since, but we thought he needed a little help from above, too. So Albert and I both prayed in Paris for force and energy to be transmitted to Didier because he had a massive job in front of him,’ News of the World quoted Goba, as saying.

“I believe our prayers were answered – especially when you consider how far he had to come back.

“He would have left if Phil Scolari had stayed as boss. Now his future is for him to decide. All I know is that he is a man with a mission and that is to win the Champions League,” he added.

Goba, who coaches the town team of Athis- Mons in Paris, wants to work in England with a lower division club. (ANI)

An NRI comes forward to help slum dog kid with her education

Mumbai, Apr 21 (ANI): After watching the ongoing trouble and tribulations in the family of Slumdog Millionaire’s child artiste Rubina Ali through media, an NRI came forward to support Rubina with her education.

According to reports, Rubina’s father Rafiq Qureshi was caught on camera agreeing to sell his daughter to an Arab Sheikh.

Abdul Rehman Vanoo, the NRI, runs a trust in Mumbai by the name of Anjum Ittiehahul Mustaqim.

“What I heard from the media is really not tolerable. She has not done any fault. So why should she suffer and why should she leave her education because of this issue? She should continue and along with her if another brother or sister of hers is ready to educate themselves, then we will support them in all manner,” said Vanoo.

Vanoo on Tuesday visited the slum area in Garib Nagar residence where Rubina stays with her family.

Rubina was quite happy with this decision, as she seemed to be very keen in completing her education.

“I am willing to study. I am very happy that uncle Vanoo has come to visit us,” said Rubina.

Meanwhile, Qureshi continued to deny the allegations against him claiming that he was trapped.

“I meet so many people everyday in our country during various occasions and programs. But these people wanted to set a trap around me and in front of a hidden camera tried to buy my child. I didn’t let go off my child during our worst phase then how can I go and sell her now when she has become so famous,” he said.

A British newspaper reported that Qureshi tried to sell his nine-year old daughter for adoption to a family from Middle East for 20 million rupees and settle at a place away from the Mumbai slums. (ANI)

Nepal bypolls boost ruling Maoists

Kathmandu, April 11 (IANS) Nepal’s ruling Maoist party has received a boost in by-elections to six seats, with the results coming in Saturday indicating it was poised to win three, including an opposition stronghold.

Nepal’s biggest opposition party, the Nepali Congress (NC), suffered setbacks in two seats in Friday’s bypolls. The Maoists have done well despite growing public criticism of their seven-month-old government.

The Kanchanpur seat had been a stronghold of former NC prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and returned him to parliament in the 2008 election. Vacated after Deuba won from a second constituency as well, the bastion fell to the Maoist grassroots leader whom Deuba had humbled, Harish Thakulla.

Thakulla, also known as Kamal Chhetri during the Maoists’ 10-year ‘People’s War’, who had lived in India’s Mumbai city for several years, supporting himself by hawking newspapers, pulled off a surprise victory over NC candidate Ek Raj Joshi.

The NC also lost its Dhanusha citadel, which had voted for the party in 2008.

NC lawmaker Ram Baran Yadav had resigned from the seat after being elected the first president of the republic of Nepal, replacing deposed King Gyanendra as the head of state.

Though Yadav’s son, radiologist Chandra Mohan Yadav, was fielded by the NC, the debutant politician floundered in third place with the regional party, Terai Madesh Loktantrik Party, and the ruling Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist, which is a member of the Maoist-led coalition government, fighting neck and neck.

The NC however got a shot in the arm when its candidate Shekhar Koirala won from Morang district in eastern Nepal.

Koirala, nephew of NC chief and former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala and uncle of Bollywood diva Manisha Koirala, had been humbled in the same constituency last year by the new regional party, Madhesi Janadhikar Forum. This time however he clawed back, with the blessings of his octogenarian uncle who was among the first few to cast their votes, winning by a slender margin of 692 votes.

In the other seat in Morang, there were no surprises. Won last year by the Forum, it voted for the same party’s Jay Ram Yadav, with the Maoists coming a close second.

Counting will start late for the seat in Rolpa, regarded as the cradle of the Maoist movement and won last year by Maoist supremo Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda.

It is likely to be retained by the ruling party despite a dissenter contesting as an independent candidate.

Besides Kanchanpur, Maoist contestant Krishna Bahadur Gurung won from Kaski, the district that last year voted for Maoist Law Minister Dev Gurung.

Indian student drowns in sea in New Zealand

Mohali (Punjab), April 9 (IANS) Rajdeep Singh, a 25-year-old from Punjab who had gone to New Zealand in pursuit of a bright future and better job prospects, died after drowning in the sea there, his family said here Thursday.

‘Rajdeep, had gone to the University of Technology in Auckland to do a two-year diploma course in February 2009. He was an intelligent student and always wanted to do big in life,’ Sohan Inder Singh, maternal uncle of the deceased, told reporters here late Thursday evening.

Singh added, ‘He went for a picnic at a sea beach there and drowned while playing with friends last Saturday. The family members are still very shocked.’

Rajdeep was the only son of his family that resides here in Sector-71, Mohali, around 10 km from Chandigarh. His father Sukhbir Singh is a retired bank manager while his mother Harpreet Kaur is a teacher.

‘The body of my nephew has reached New Delhi and I would go there on tomorrow (Friday) to bring it back to Mohali. His cremation will be done here Saturday,’ said Singh.

Young attack victim leaves hospital

One of the two young boys who were seriously injured in a horrific attack has been allowed home from hospital. Skip related content
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A police officer near to where a critically-injured boy was found in Edlington

The nine-year-old was released from Doncaster Royal Infirmary overnight after undergoing two operations on his injured arm.

His 11-year-old friend and uncle is still recovering in the hospital following the incident in the former pit village of Edlington, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, on Saturday.

Two young brothers, aged 10 and 11, appeared at Doncaster Youth Court on Tuesday accused of their attempted murder.

A South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: “The 11-year-old boy is still recovering in Doncaster Royal Infirmary after he was transferred from Sheffield Children’s Hospital on Tuesday.

“The nine-year-old boy was released from hospital overnight. Times and dates to interview the victims have yet to be decided.”

The father of the 11-year-old said that his son was too bruised to be hugged and was so traumatised by his ordeal that he cried when he saw an unfamiliar face.

He told the Daily Mirror: “We’ve been giving him loads of hugs and love. But there are only so many hugs you can give him as the poor lad is bruised to death. If you tap him on the shoulder he groans in pain.

“He’s still not eating or drinking very well. But he’s healing and doing a lot better and we’re over the moon. It could have been so much worse.”

Police were called at 2pm on Saturday when the nine-year-old boy was found wandering, covered in blood, in Auburn Road. The youngster told the people who found him where to find his uncle, who was discovered unconscious in a nearby wooded ravine.

Police probe deadly shooting at Korean Christian retreat

Los Angeles – Police in southern California Wednesday were investigating a brutal shooting spree in which one person was killed and three injured at a secluded retreat operated by a Korean-based Christian group.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the suspect in the late Tuesday killings was a 69-year-old man named John Chong who was known around the retreat centre as “Uncle”. Police said that he first killed a woman and injured her husband in their bungalow and then went to another house on the property, where two residents succeeded in fighting him off.

The incident occurred at the Kkottongnae Retreat Camp, near the city of Temecula about 140 kilometres southeast of Los Angeles. Kkottongnae, which is run by the Congregation of the Sisters of Jesus, means “flower village” in Korean and is a Christian social service organization founded in Korea. The camp helps orphans and the homeless – some of whom were staying at the quiet mountain retreat. (dpa)