Chandigarh, Dec. 31 : Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma on Wednesday said that Pakistan should come out of denial mode and bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks to justice.

"It''ll be good that if the acknowledgement is forthright. This fact is known to the world that where the perpetrators (of Mumbai terror attacks) came from, where those organisations are based, the conspirators which have been identified and named. And instead of being in denial, Pakistan should take effective steps to bring to justice the conspirators and funders," said Sharma at a press conference here today.

Srinagar, Dec. 31 : The famous Chinar trees that have been a fascination for millions of tourists to watch over the years in Kashmir valley are today facing challenge to their existence here.

Local people have been felling the trees over the years.

Originally brought into the Kashmir Valley in the early 16th century by Mughals, the Chinar trees became the part of heritage in the valley and an ultimate joy to watch by all here. Tourists have chronicled the mighty Chinars as the magic of Kashmir.

Ramnagar (Uttarakhand), Dec. 31 : Several tourists from different parts of the country have arrived at the Jim Corbett Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttarakhand to celebrate New Year amidst the wildlife.

Most of them said that they are mainly driven by a strong inclination to enjoy the experience of seeing wildlife in their natural habitat.

"We had our booking done almost 15 days back. We are here basically to watch the animals. Being nature lovers, we wanted to see the natural habitat and that''s why we have come here with our children," said Jaydeep Dutta, a tourist from Mumbai, which was recently attacked by terrorists.

Beijing, Dec. 31 : Chinese President Hu Jintao has offered six proposals to promote the peaceful development of the cross-Strait relationship.

In a speech to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the mainland''s "Message to Compatriots in Taiwan" here on Wednesday, Hu said the mainland is willing to discuss with Taiwan proper and reasonable arrangement for Taiwan''s participation in international organizations, as long as this does not create a scenario of "two Chinas" or "China and Taiwan."

Islamabad, Dec. 31 : Many Pakistanis still view India as their real enemy and are far less concerned about the spread of radical Islam in their midst, the Washington Post reports.

According to the paper, the country''s powerful army also appears to be more comfortable facing its conventional cross-border adversary to the east than waging a messy counter-insurgency campaign against fellow Muslims and Pakistanis on its own territory.

Baghdad - Iraq's Defence Ministry on Wednesday signed two agreements on the withdrawal of British and Australian troops from the country, a Ministry spokesman said.