Maori Queen laid to rest

Maori Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu was buried on Mount Taupiri, the resting-place of chiefs, in a traditional ceremony Monday.

The queen died last Tuesday after 40 years on the throne. She was a popular and respected indigenous leader in New Zealand.

A traditional Maori canoe carried the queen's coffin to Taupiri after an elaborate and well-attended ceremony featuring many local and regional leaders.


French Polynesia President Oscar Temaru walks with former New Zealand politician Koro Wetere during the late Maori Queen Dame Te Atairangikaahu's tangihanga (funeral ceremony) at the Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, August 20, 2006. REUTERS/Peter Drury/Pool via Yahoo News.

Letter threatens attack on Taj Mahal

Indian soldiers are 24-hour alert at the famed Taj Mahal after a letter theretened to blow up the monument, officials said Friday.

The handwritten letter received Thursday reportedly from an al-Qaida supporter said the group plans to attack the Mughal-era monument.


The Taj Mahal in Agra, India in 1982. AP Photo/Jeff Robbins, FILE via Yahoo News.

"The letter could be false but we cannot afford to be complacent. We are not taking any chances and have enhanced security at the Taj," Ashok Kumar, a senior government official in Uttar Pradesh said.

At least 100 additional paramilitary troops with automatic weapons have been stationed around the marble domed monument built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan between 1632 and 1654 for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

Koizumi visits Yasukuni Shrine, draws protests

Protesters from home and abroad criticized Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for visiting the Yasukuni memorial Tuesday to honor Japan's World War II dead.

China and South Korea lodged official complaints and opponents of the prime minister staged an all-day media blitz protesting the visit on the anniversary of Japan's surrender during the war.

The house and office of Koichi Kato, a member of Koizumi's own party who also opposed the visit, was burned down late Tuesday. Police investigators said they could not rule out arson in the case. Kato had appeared on television throughout the day criticizing Koizumi.


Visitors to the Yasukuni Shrine pay respects to the war dead on the 61st anniversary of the end of the World War II in Tokyo, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2006. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi prayed at the Yasukuni war shrine Tuesday.AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye via Yahoo News.