Steve Jobs: What will happen to his fortune?

Apple's genius co-founder Steve Jobs left behind a fortune of $8.3 billion. The figure puts Steve Jobs just outside the world’s top 100 richest billionaires.

The question now is what will happen of his fortunes. This has no simple answer as his tangled family tree will make this distribution tricky. There is his wife and their three kids of course. But his family tree branches out further and includes a biological father, two sisters and a love child he fathered out of wedlock.

Steve Jobs biological, Abdulfattah Jandali, now 80, is a Syrian who now owns a casino. He fathered Jobs with Joanne Simpson, who did not want to bring a child out of wedlock and hence gave up Jobs for adoption.

Jobs is thought to never had contacted his biological father. Abdulfattah, on the other hand, was worried that Steve would think he was after money if he did call him.

Jandali later fathered another child Mona Simpson with Joanne. She is a novelist and has once written a book loosely based on her biological brother.

It is unclear how Steve tracked down his sister but she has described their relationship as being ‘close’.

Steve Jobs was adopted by working-class couple Clara and Paul Jobs, who have both since died. They later adopted another child, Patti Jobs.

In 1977, Steve Jobs fathered Lisa Brennan-Jobs with his high school sweetheart Chrisann Brennan. At that time denied fathering her and Lisa was born in 1978, the same year Steve created the ‘Lisa’ computer. Although many believe it was named after his daughter, he steadfastly denied it saying it stood for 'Local Integrated Software Architecture'.

Lisa was initially raised on benefits and two years later he took responsibility for his daughter.

She graduated from Harvard Univesity and is a journalist and writer. She told Vogue she was invited by Steve and had spent some years with her father.

'My father was rich and renowned, and later, as I got to know him, went on vacations with him, and then lived with him for a few years, I saw another, more glamorous world,' she told Vogue in 2008.

Steve Jobs met his wife Laurene Powell in 1989 while speaking at Stanford's graduate business school. They have three children together- Eve, Erin and Reed
According to International Business Times, there are 338 U.S patents or patent applications by Steve Jobs for technology and electronic accessories.

He owned a 5,700 sq ft home which is estimated to be worth $2.6million. It has seven bedrooms and four bathrooms. He also owned a huge historic Spanish colonial home in Woodside. 

'Barack Obama is the antichrist'

A heckler interrupted US President Barack Obama at a fundraiser. He shouted "Barack Obama is the antichrist", before he was dragged out by the security at the House of Blues theater in West Hollywood.

Obama was just about to begin his campaign appeal to raise funds for his 2012 election account, when the heckler got up, stood in front of the stage and started shouting slogans.

He shouted, "Christian God is the one and only true living God, the creator of Heaven and the Universe. I love Jesus. Jesus Christ is God. Jesus Christ is the son of God... Jesus Christ is God. Barack Obama is the antichrist."

The crowd, however, supported Obama and drowned his voice while he was being taken out.

‘Ally’ Pakistan ambushed US, Afghan commanders in 2007

New York: In what could widen the gulf between the United States and Pakistan, American and Afghan officials have revealed that Pakistani troops had targeted them during an ambush in 2007.

The attack, which took place in Teri Mangal near the lawless Pakistan-Afghanistan border on May 14, 2007, killed an American major besides injuring three other US officials and an Afghan interpreter. US commandos had also responded to the Pakistani fire before getting away in their Hawk helicopter.

The American and Afghan officials, who revealed the details of the assault, described the ambush as a complex and calculated move by the Pakistani forces, The New York Times reported.

Officials pointed out that the attack was a revenge for Afghan, Pakistani deaths at American hands.

“I saw the American falling and taking positions and firing,” The New York Times quoted Brigadier General Muhammad Akram Same, the then Afghan Army commander in eastern Afghanistan, as saying.

“We were not fired on from one side, but from two, probably three sides,” he added.

Colonel Sher Ahmed Kuchai, the Afghan border guard commander, who also witnessed the ferocious assault by the Pakistani troops said: “It did not last more than 20 seconds, but this was a moment of life and death.”

The latest disclosure suggests that the Obama Administration was aware about Islamabad’s duplicity but even then it maintained a strange silence over it.

Last week, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was undermining the efforts of the international forces in war ravaged Afghanistan.

Mullen also stressed that the ISI provided support to the militants who targeted the US Embassy in Kabul earlier this month.

China pledges $1 mn for Pakistan security agencies

Islamabad: China will give eight million yaun (about $1.2 million) to Pakistan to help improve the efficiency of its security agencies.

It was announced at a joint press conference by Chinese Vice Prime Minister Meng Jianzhu and Interior Minister Rehman Malik here Tuesday, the official APP news agency reported.

Meng said China will also provide equipments for capacity building of Pakistan's security agencies.

Saudi's King Abdullah saves woman from lashing

Saudi’s King Abdullah has overturned the punishment meted out to a woman for defying the country’s law on driving.

The woman, Shaima Jastaina, was sentenced to be lashed 10 times for driving without permission in Jeddah in July.

There is no official confirmation of the ruling; however, Princess Amira al-Taweel, wife of Saudi Pince Alwaheed bin Talal, tweeted: "Thank God, the lashing of [Shaima] is cancelled. Thanks to our beloved king. I am sure all Saudi women will be so happy, I know I am."

UK newspaper The Guardian reported that the Princess and her husband had spoken to Shaimam, who told them, "The king's orders washed the fears I lived with after this unjust sentence."

Two days after King Abdullah gave the fairer sex right to vote, Shaima Jastaina was sentenced to be lashed 10 times for defying the kingdom's ban on female drivers.

This was the first-ever crackdown on woman drivers as normally police stop them to caution them and then make them sign a pledge that would not to do so again, before letting them go.

The paper said the sentence came more of a shock as recently women in droves had begun to take to the roads in a campaign to break the taboo.

The shocking sentence comes soon after the Saudi King, in a bold move, decreed that women would be given voting rights in municipal elections to be held in 2015.

Women- both from Saudi and foreign- are banned from driving in Saudi Arabia, the only country to do so.

Why China wants to become a Dalai Lama-making factory

Mumbai: A few days ago the Dalai Lama, from his monastery nestled in the Himalayan foot-hills in Dharamshala, took a major step to set at rest concerns of the Tibetan people relating to their religious beliefs. Beijing’s plans to ensure a decisive say in selection of the next Dalai Lama, carefully laid since 2007, are now seriously threatened. Anticipating China’s attempts to ‘manipulate’ the system, the Dalai Lama clarified that he and high lamas nominated by him have the final say in selection of a reincarnate Lama, including the Dalai and Panchen Lamas. Whether there will be a XVth Dalai Lama has, for the moment, been left unsettled. The latter gives the Chinese and Dalai Lama’s establishment some room for manoeuvre.

The 4,041-word statement released by the Dalai Lama on September 24, at a special press conference in Dha- ramshala, criticises Chinese authorities for manipulating Tibetan religious beliefs and practices for political ends. The statement will have upset Chinese leaders, especially those in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s United Front Work Department (UFWD), which is entrusted with the task of handling matters related to China’s minority nationalities. The statement was issued after a 3-day long meeting of high lamas in Dharamshala that was held to primarily discuss the issue of the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation.

In the statement, the Dalai Lama opened the prospect of his reincarnation being discovered during his lifetime. Clarifiying that a Tulku is a reincarnate Lama who can choose his time and place of re-birth and have many forms, the Dalai Lama added: “Superior Bodhisattvas, who can manifest themselves in hundreds or thousands of bodies simultaneously, can manifest an emanation before death.” Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, an ancient sage, was quoted: “Reincarnation is what happens when someone takes rebirth after the predecessor’s passing away; emanation is when manifestations take place without the source’s passing away.” Introduction of this statement paves the way for the Dalai Lama announcing, at a later stage, that he has decided on his successor.

Stating that “they say they are waiting for my death and will recognise a Fifteenth Dalai Lama of their choice,” the Dalai Lama cautioned Tibetans to “bear in mind that, apart from the reincarnation recognised through such legitimate methods, no recognition or acceptance should be given to a candidate chosen for political ends by anyone, including those in the People’s Republic of China.” Hinting at the reincarnation’s role, he assured “the main purpose of the appearance of a reincarnation is to continue the predecessor’s unfinished work, to serve Dharma and beings.”

The meeting in Dharamshala coincided with growing concern in Beijing regarding the XIVth Dalai Lama’s reincarnation. Beijing has, in recent times, insisted it accorded approval for recognition of high lamas, including the Dalai and Panchen Lamas, since the twelfth century. The Dalai Lama contradicted this saying only two of his predecessors were selected by drawing lots from the ‘Golden Urn.’ In September 2007, communist China enacted 14-part regulations, declaring “the so-called reincarnated living Buddhas without government approval is illegal and invalid.” The rules were formulated to assert authority over the deeply religious Tibetan Buddhists and limit the Dalai Lama’s influence.

Described by the Dalai Lama as “outrageous and disgraceful”, they were intended to enable Beijing to assert control over Tulkus, who exercise enormous influence in the Himalayan region since they lead religious communities. The Dalai Lama was excluded from the process by prohibiting anyone outside China from taking part in seeking and recognising a living Buddha. The regulations have now been criticised as “the enforcement of various inappropriate methods for recognising reincarnations to eradicate our unique Tibetan cultural traditions is doing damage that will be difficult to repair”.

A main objective was to ensure a decisive say for Beijing in selection of the 76-year old Dalai Lama’s reincarnation. A Tibetan Deputy to China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) disclosed in March 2009, that ‘Beijing will decide on the reincarnated successor of the Dalai Lama when Tibetan Buddhism’s highest spiritual leader passes away’.

Also as part of its policy of neutralising potential threats to its stability from Tibetans, Beijing has been very active in Nepal in recent years. It successfully pressured Nepal’s government to curb the activities of Tibetans and return to Chinese security authorities those Tibetans who escape from Tibet. Rumours have been floated that the next Dalai Lama could be ‘discovered’ in Nepal. China has initiated steps to woo Nepal’s Tibetan Buddhist community, including with a US$ 3 billion proposal for the development of Lumbini, Buddha’s birthplace. The proposal is sponsored by a Chinese NGO which has Nepalese Maoist leader Prachanda as Vice President and an ex-Chinese Army Radar Engineer as Executive Director. Some Nepal-based Buddhist organisations and senior Lamas have been persuaded to write supporting the project.

The Dalai Lama’s September 24 statement will certainly reverberate throughout China’s Tibetan population. It is likely to upset Chinese calculations and harden resistance by Tibetans inside China.

Nazi parade by Thai students triggers row

Bangkok: A Thai school had to apologise to a Jewish human rights group after its students caused a controversy by taking out a Nazi-themed parade featuring Adolf Hitler and his SS guards, a media report said.

In one of the photographs, a group of girls, dressed in Nazi SS guards outfit and wearing the Nazi symbolic swastika armbands, have been captured marching through the school ground, Xinhua reported.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights group based in Los Angeles, Monday issued a statement protesting the "disgraceful display", accusing the school administration of "glorifying Nazis".

The outrage came after some photographs taken on a sports day in the school, in northern Thailand's Chiang Mai province, were posted online.

The high school apologised soon after receiving the protest.

Pakistan lets Osama bin Laden's bodyguard walk free

Pakistan has reportedly freed a senior al-Qaeda commander, who served as a bodyguard to Osama bin Laden.

Amin al-Haq had escaped from Afghanistan with the al-Qaeda leader in 2001. He later became a Osama’s key financial aide. Pakistani intelligence agency (ISI)detained him in Lahore about three years ago.

According to the UK newspaper The Telegraph, a senior security source in the north-western Pakistani town of Peshawar, where he had been held, said the ISI had passed al-Haq on to the police before he was released earlier this month.

"Amin al-Haq had been arrested mistakenly, therefore, the police failed to prove any charge of his association with Osama bin Laden and the court set him free," he told The Daily Telegraph.

This move by Pakistan comes at the time when the country’s commitment to tackle terrorism has come under fire from the US.

Recently, US Adml Mike Mullen had accused the country of having ties with the Haqqani network and waging a proxy war on US troops in Afghanistan via them.  

US has been putting increasing pressure on Pakistan to take action against the terrorist group. However, Pakistan has been defiant in its stand and has refused to act against the network.

Taliban targets US Embassy, NATO headquarters in Kabul, gun battle on

Kabul:  Heavily armed extremists launched a major assault in Kabul on Tuesday afternoon targeting NATO’s coalition force headquarters, which is situated close to the US embassy here.

According to sources, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters was one of the targets in the attack, which was initiated by the Taliban. Television images showed several injured men with sounds of gun fire in the background.

Several thunderous blasts were heard following which gunshots were reported from the area, which houses embassies of several countries and also local and foreign intelligence buildings.

Media reports said that the attackers, armed with AK 47s and rocket launchers, have taken position in an under construction building as the gun battle between the assailants and security forces continued till the reports last filtered in.

The attack has come weeks after extremists stormed into the British Council. Earlier, nearly 80 US troops were injured in a bomb attack, which took place on the eve of 9/11 terror attacks' tenth anniversary.

No report of any harm to the Indian embassy, which is situated close to the attack site, has been received yet.

Explosion in Kabul kills two Afghan soldiers

Kabul: On Sunday night, two Afghan soldiers were injured in an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Xinhua reported.

The rocket attack apparently targeted Ariana Hotel, where many Americans used to live, said an official.

The explosion occurred in the area between the US Embassy and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters around 8.00 pm.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Afghanistan: Employee attacks Kabul CIA compound, one American killed

Kabul: A compound in Kabul used by the US's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) came under attack, officials said, the latest in a series of assaults in the Afghan capital.

According to media reports, the attacks were carried out by an Afghan employee who managed to sneak into the building. The shooter killed on American and injured another before he was shot down.

Afghan interior ministry spokesman Siddiq Siddiqui said police had heard "a couple of minutes" of gunfire from inside the Ariana Hotel compound at around 1645 GMT.

"Our police heard there were some shots from inside the Ariana compound," he said. But he added that Afghan forces could not go inside as the site "belongs to coalition forces" and was "not within the reach of police".

An Afghan government source speaking anonymously to AFP said the Ariana compound was used by the CIA.

A US official in Washington confirmed an attack against a facility used by US officials in Kabul, telling AFP "the situation is fluid, and the investigation is ongoing" over the incident.

The CIA declined to comment.

A spokesman for the US embassy in Kabul, Gavin Sundwall, also said he could not comment on the incident.

Major Jason Waggoner, spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul, confirmed that "there were shots fired" near the hotel but did not have further details.

The attack came amid escalating violence in the capital which earlier this month saw a a 19-hour siege which targeted the US embassy and also the assassination of former president Burhanuddin Rabbani.

Washington has accused elements of the Pakistani state of supporting the Al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network which it blames for the September 13 embassy attack, and tensions between the US and Pakistan have reached an unprecedented level.

NASA satellite breaks up in plunge to Earth

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - A six-tonnes NASA science satellite fell back to Earth, the U.S. space agency said on Saturday, but it was not yet known where the remains landed.

NASA said its decommissioned Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite was "passing over Canada and Africa as well as vast portions of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans" as it returned to Earth, and that "the precise re-entry time and location are not yet known with certainty."

The 20-year-old satellite, which took an unpredictable course as it tumbled through the upper atmosphere, fell to Earth sometime between 11:23 p.m EDT on Friday and 1:09 a.m. EDT on Saturday (0323 to 0509 GMT on Saturday), NASA said.

There were reports on Twitter of debris falling over Okotoks, a town south of Calgary in western Canada, most likely satellite remains.

Stretching 35 feet (10.6 metres) long and 15 feet (4.5 metres) in diameter, UARS was among the largest spacecraft to plummet uncontrollably through the atmosphere, although it is a slim cousin to NASA's 75-tonnes Skylab station, which crashed to Earth in 1979.

Russia's last space station, the 135-tonnes Mir, crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 2001, but it was a guided descent.

NASA now plans for the controlled re-entry of large spacecraft, but it did not when UARS was designed.

The 13,000-pound (5,897 kg) satellite was dispatched into orbit by a space shuttle crew in 1991 to study ozone and other chemicals in Earth's atmosphere. It completed its mission in 2005 and had been slowly losing altitude ever since, pulled by the planet's gravity.

Most of the spacecraft burned up during the fiery plunge through the atmosphere, but about 26 individual pieces, weighing a total of about 1,100 pounds (500 kg) could have survived the incineration.

The debris field spans about 500 miles (805 km), but exactly where it is located depends on when UARS descended.

With most of the planet covered in water and vast uninhabited deserts and other land directly beneath the satellite's flight path, the chance that someone would be hit by falling debris was 1-in-3,200, NASA said.

"The risk to public safety is very remote," it said.

The satellite flew over most of the planet, traveling between 57 degrees north and 57 degrees south of the equator.

UARS was one of about 20,000 pieces of space debris in orbit around Earth. Something the size of UARS falls back into the atmosphere about once a year.

Two dead in Indonesia bombing

Jakarta: A suspected suicide bomber blew himself up on Sunday at a Protestant church in Indonesia's Java island, killing two people and injuring at least 14, Xinhua reported.

However, reports said one of the dead was probably the bomber himself.

The attack on the church at Solo in central Java was probably carried out by the same group that attacked a police compound in Cirebon in West Java in April, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told the Jakarta Post.

The suicide blast in a prayer room at the Cirebon police compound killed one and left more than 30 others wounded.

Mass grave of 1,270 found in Libya

Moscow: A mass grave containing the bodies of over 1,270 people killed by Muammar Gaddafi's forces has been found near Abu Salim prison in Tripoli, local media reported on Sunday.

"We are dealing with more than 1,270 martyrs and must distinguish each one from the other for identification by comparing their DNA with family members," a medical official Osman Abdul Jalil said.

The massacre in Abu Salim prison started June 28, 1996. The prisoners were unhappy with the conditions of detention and restrictions on meetings with relatives. The revolt was brutally put down June 29. Human rights groups said some 2,000 inmates were killed.

Massive demonstrations against longtime leader Gaddafi broke out in Libya in mid-February. The international NATO-led military operation began March 19 following a UN resolution on "targeted measures" to protect civilians.

The National Transitional Council (NTC) agreed on the makeup of an interim cabinet on Monday. NTC current chief Mahmoud Jibril has been named interim prime minister.

'India to stay client No 1 for Russian arms industry'

Moscow: India continues to be Russia's largest strategic partner in military-technical cooperation, the head of Russian state arms exporter has said.

"India, China, Algeria, Vietnam and Venezuela are our leading partners," CEO of Rosoboronexport Anatoly Isaikin told the Kommersant daily, adding that India is "client No.1" for Russia "for years ahead."

He underscored that under the long term military- technical cooperation programme Russia is taking part in various projects, which include joint R&D and joint production.

Isaikin said Russia was currently bidding for 20 tenders floated by India. "Winning at least half of these tenders is huge luck for any state."

He, however, said that failure of MiG-35 in MMRCA tender was "extremely unpleasant and sensitive" for Russia.

Isaikin expressed confidence that Moscow will retain its leading position in the Indian arms market in spite of entry of new players like the US.

Palestine should first first make peace with Israel: Netanyahu

United Nations: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the UN General Assembly on Friday that his country desired peace with the Palestinians, but this could only be achieved through talks, not a UN resolution.

Netanyahu was speaking after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas the General Assembly to ask it to recognise a Palestinian state. The latter filed a request with the UN for full membership earlier in the day.

"As Israel's prime minister I didn't come here for applause. I came here to speak the truth," he said at the start of his address.

"The Palestinians should first make peace with Israel and then get their state," he told the hall.

Netanyahu complained to the hall that Israel was often pressured to make concessions.

"These people say to me constantly: just make a sweeping offer and everything will work out," he said, adding that the threat of "militant Islam" made it impossible to do so.

"When we left Gaza ... the moderates were devoured by the radicals," he said.

But if peace can be achieved through talks with the Palestinians, he said, "Israel will not be the last state to welcome a Palestinian state into the United Nations. We will be the first."

Israel criticises Palestinian president's UN speechIsrael on Friday described Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' address to the UN General Assembly as a "speech of incitement", Xinhua reported.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman made the comments while speaking to a TV channel in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings.

Lieberman, a minister of the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet, said that Israel had no choice but to press ahead " without paying attention, and without making threats."

He said much of Abbas' speech was devoted to detailing how settlements have scuttled the peace process.

Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni, in his reaction to Abbas' speech, said Abbas had clearly enlisted world opinion behind his cause to the detriment of Israel's international standing.

Abbas, during his speech, also called on the UN to admit an independent Palestinian state as a full member based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Minutes before his speech, Abbas formally presented the Palestinian statehood bid to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Several countries in the council have pledged their support for the statehood bid, but Israel's close ally the US has indicated that it would use its veto power in the council to stop it.

News of the World scandal: Bigg Boss inmate Jade Goody's phone was hacked

London: Jade Goody, the celebrity Big Brother contestant who gained notorious popularity after abusing Indian actress Shilpa Shetty on the sets of the reality show in 2007, was also a victim of phone-hacking, Goody's mother revealed.

Goody died of cancer in 2009 aged 27. Her abusive treatment of Shilpa Shetty on the reality show brought her into public spotlight. Goody then went to India, apologised, and appeared on the Indian version of Big Brother, called Big Boss, in 2008.

Jackiey Budden, her mother, today alleged that both her and her daughter?s phone were hacked.

Max Clifford, the PR consultant who handled Goody?s public relations after she was diagnosed with cancer, said: "She (Jackiey) will be going to the police. She believes her phone was hacked by the News of the World, and Jade's. Jade told me 'I'm convinced my phone is being hacked'."

Clifford said Goody was convinced calls she made to her mother in August 2008 from the Big Brother set in India to tell her she had cancer had been hacked.

"She said to me 'I think my phone is being bugged'," he told The Guardian.

"Jade had said to me on many occasions that someone had been bugging her phone because of stuff that was coming out in the papers. She would say, 'I've had these conversations and there's no way any of these people would have revealed them'," added Clifford.

"This was all while she was ill. I think it's absolutely disgusting."

Clifford said that in the months between being diagnosed and her death in March 2009, there was "a feeding frenzy" and "immense interest" in getting exclusives about her personal life.

India cosies up to Iran a day after Ahmadinejad blasts West

United Nations: A day after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad triggered a US-led Western walkout from the UN General Assembly with a combative speech, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met him in a reiteration of their close ties regardless.

"The previously planned meeting basically focused on our bilateral relationship," Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai told reporters on Friday when asked if the meeting with Ahmadinejad coupled with Indian support for Palestine would have an impact on New Delhi's ties with Washington.

The two leaders did not discuss Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's speech making a historic bid for UN membership bid for an independent state of Palestine earlier on Friday, but they both "reiterated their support for the Palestinian attempt to seek membership of UN," he said.

In fact, during this meeting between the two leaders after a long time, Manmohan Singh accepted in principle Ahmadinejad's renewed invitation to visit Iran. The dates of prime minister's visit are to be worked out, but Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar will be visiting shortly, Mathai said.

Though the two leaders did not discuss the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, another issue of divergence with the US, "they discussed a whole series of projects between the two countries, including potential cooperation in the field of hydrocarbons," he said.

But Mathai was quick to reassure that Manmohan Singh's meeting with the Iranian leader and India's support for Palestine and the absence of a meeting with President Barack Obama did not reflect a cooling of ties between India and the US.

Like other Indian officials before, he too attributed the reason for Manmohan Singh not meeting Obama to "the fact that the Prime Minister arrived after the President left."

But India and the US are planning a meeting between External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, possibly Monday, after Manmohan Singh leaves for home.

In his speech blasting the US on Thursday, Ahmadinejad questioned whether Islamist terrorists were behind the Sep 11, 2001 attacks on the US.

Blaming the West for a list of ills throughout history, from slavery to the two world wars and the global economic crisis, he also criticised the Obama administration for killing Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Palestine applies for membership; UNSC to consider bid on Monday

United Nations: Palestine on Friday formally applied to the UN for its membership, Xinhua reported.

The application was forwarded to the president of the UN Security Council, hours after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon received it from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a UN spokesman said.

The letter was submitted on the sidelines of the 66th General Assembly session on Friday.

Nawaf Salam, Lebanese ambassador to the UN, holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council for September.

The council, whose approval is required for new UN membership, will consider the application on Sep 26.

Earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman had said in Tel Aviv that Israel would pull out of talks with Palestine if it goes ahead with its plans to gain UN membership.

During his 40-minute speech at the assembly, the Palestinian president was greeted with applause from the packed hall of the 193-nation assembly.

Abbas said: "At a time when the Arab people affirm their quest for democracy -- the Arab Spring -- the time is now for the Palestinian Spring, the time for independence."

Meanwhile, the US, a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a close ally of Israel, threatened to veto any move to recognise Palestine on the ground that the Middle East peace should be achieved through direct talks between Palestinians and Israelis.

The UN membership is open to nations that accept the UN Charter. The General Assembly admits new member states on the recommendation of the Security Council.

UNSC to consider Palestinian statehood bid MondayThe UN Security Council will consider the Palestinians' request for statehood recognition Monday, a Council representative said on Friday.

"I received today the Palestinian bid from the general secretary and the UN Security Council will gather to consider it on Monday," Nawaf Salam, Lebanon's permanent representative at the UN told journalists.

Earlier Friday, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas urged the UN General Assembly to end the world's "last occupation" and recognise a Palestinian state.

Abbas had earlier filed his historic request for full membership of the UN, handing his application to UN chief Ban Ki-moon.

The US has said it will veto any Palestinian request for the Security Council to grant it full membership.

Abbas has said that he will press ahead with the bid in the General Assembly if knocked back by the Security Council. But approval in the General Assembly alone would not give the Palestinians full membership status.

It would however give the Palestinians the power to take Israel to the International Criminal Court.

US journalist deported from IGI airport

 Delhi: A US national was deported on his arrival at the IGI Airport here in the wee hours of today after he was found to have allegedly violated visa norms during his previous visit to the country.

Airport sources said David Barsamian, a radio journalist, was deported back to his country by immigration authorities.

Sources said Barsamian had reported on events in Jammu and Kashmir during his last visit to India and these reports were found to be "not based on facts".

They alleged that he violated his Visa norms during his visit in 2009-10 by indulging in professional work while holding a tourist visa. He was thereafter put on a watchlist by the immigration authorities in order to prevent his entry when he visits the country again.

Sources said Barsamian during his visit to Kashmir Valley had interactions with separatist leaders and also reported on the situation in the Kashmir valley.

Barsamian is reported to have travelled extensively in connection with his work. He has been visiting India regularly and his friends said that he was at present learning "Sitar".