Kochi, Dec 16 : Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi has lashed out at the Mumbai attackers, by saying that they would have to pay a price for their barbarism.

"There is a price to be paid for these barbaric attacks. Let nobody take us for granted and, let nobody underestimate our resolve to defeat these diabolic designs of these forces," said Gandhi at a Congress rally here on Monday.

This was Gandhi''s first public meeting after the party''s success in Assembly polls in three states.

Washington, Dec. 16 : The outgoing Bush administration has one final gift for federal employees - a paid holiday on December 26, which will cost the national treasury
450 million dollars in holiday pay and salary for lost productivity.

The National Taxpayers Union, a watchdog on working practices in government and allied fields, was quoted by Fox News as saying that President Bush issued an executive order on Friday, declaring the day after Christmas a holiday and excusing all, but essential executive branch employees from work, with pay.

Wasilla (Alaska, US), Dec. 16 : A member of Sarah Palin''s church in he hometown Wasilla has aid that the spirits of its congregants has lifted in the wake of it being destroyed by a fire.

Though Palin was not at the Wasilla Bible Church when the fire broke out last Friday, but she visited it the day after.

Springfield (Illinois, US), Dec. 16: Lawmakers in Illinois have taken the first step towards activating impeachment proceedings against State Governor Rod Blagojevich, who has been accused of trying sell the Senate seat vacated by US President-elect Barack Obama.

Illinois lawmakers descended on the state capital of Springfield Monday to consider whether to hold a special election to fill Barack Obama''s vacant Senate seat.

Manila  - Air force helicopters joined Tuesday in the search for at least 28 people missing after an overloaded boat capsized and sank in the northern Philippines, killing at least 27 people.

Lieutenant Commander Ferdinand Panganiban, a local coast guard commander, said 45 people survived the sinking Sunday of the MB Maejan off the coast of Ballesteros town in Cagayan province, 420 kilometres north of Manila.

Panganiban said rescuers were scouring nearby islands and islets in hopes of recovering more survivors who might have been able to swim to safety.

Maejan left Calayan Island for the mainland town of Aparri when it was battered by huge waves and strong winds, causing it to capsize.