Gaza crowds surge at Israel's border fence, 1 dead

GAZA CITY: Israeli troops fired on Gazans surging toward Israel's border fence on Friday, killing one person but leaving intact the fragile two-day-old cease-fire between Hamas and the Jewish state.

The truce, which calls for an end to Gaza rocket fire on Israel and Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, came after eight days of cross-border fighting, the bloodiest between Israel and Hamas in four years.

In a letter to the UN Security Council, the Palestinian UN observer Riyad Mansour called the situation in Gaza "extremely fragile" and said Israel's cease-fire violations and other illegal actions risk undermining the calm that was just restored.

Hundreds of Palestinians approached the border fence on Friday in several locations in southern Gaza, testing expectations Israel would no longer enforce a 300-meter-wide (300-yard-wide) no-go zone on the Palestinian side of the fence that was meant to prevent infiltrations into Israel. In the past, Israeli soldiers routinely opened fire on those who crossed into the zone.

In one incident captured by Associated Press video, several dozen Palestinians, most of them young men, approached the fence, coming close to a group of Israeli soldiers standing on the other side.

Some Palestinians briefly talked to the soldiers, while others appeared to be taunting them with chants of "God is Great" and "Morsi, Morsi," in praise of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, whose mediation led to the truce.

At one point, a soldier shouted in Hebrew, "Go there, before I shoot you," and pointed away from the fence, toward Gaza. The soldier then dropped to one knee, assuming a firing position. Eventually, a burst of automatic fire was heard, but it was not clear whether any of the casualties were from this incident.

Gaza health official Ashraf al-Kidra said a 20-year-old man was killed and 19 people were wounded by Israeli fire near the border.

Mansour, the Palestinian UN observer, said Israeli forces fatally shot Anwar Abdulhadi Qudaih in the head and injured at least 19 other Palestinian civilians in a border area east of Khan Younis.

During the incidents, Hamas security tried to defuse the situation and keep the crowds away from the fence.

Moussa Abu Marzouk, a top Hamas official at the ongoing negotiations in Cairo, told Associated Press that the violence would have no effect on the ceasefire.

The crowds were mainly made up of young men but also included farmers hoping to once again farm lands in the buffer zone. Speaking by phone from the buffer zone, 19-year-old Ali Abu Taimah said he and his father were checking three acres of family land that have been fallow for several years.

"When we go to our land, we are telling the occupation (Israel) that we are not afraid at all," he said.

Israel's military said roughly 300 Palestinians approached the security fence at different points, tried to damage it and cross into Israel. Soldiers fired warning shots in the air, but after the Palestinians refused to move back, troops fired at their legs, the military said. A Palestinian infiltrated into Israel during the unrest, but was returned to Gaza, it said.

The truce allowed both Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step back from the brink of a full-fledged war. Over eight days, Israel's aircraft carried out some 1,500 strikes on Hamas-linked targets, while Gaza fighters fired roughly the same number of rockets at Israel.

The fighting killed 166 Palestinians, including scores of civilians, and six Israelis. Mansour, the Palestinian UN envoy, said more than 1,230 Palestinians were injured, predominantly women and children.

In Cairo, Egypt is hosting separate talks with Israeli and Hamas envoys on the next phase of the cease-fire — a new border deal for blockaded Gaza. Hamas demands an end to border restrictions, while Israel insists Hamas halt weapons smuggling to Gaza.

Mansour also accused Israel of intensifying its use of "excessive and lethal force" against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in recent days and of arresting at least 230 Palestinian civilians since the Gaza fighting began, including several members of the Palestinian Legislative Council who were detained at dawn on Friday.

The Palestinian UN observer called on the Security Council and the international community "to remain vigilant in their demands for a complete cessation of hostilities and for compliance by Israel."

A poll Friday showed about half of Israelis thinks their government should have continued its Gaza offensive.

The independent Maagar Mohot poll showed 49 percent of respondents felt Israel should have kept pursuing squads that fire rockets into Israel, 31 percent supported the decision to stop and 20 percent had no opinion. Twenty-nine percent thought Israel should have sent ground troops into Gaza. The poll of 503 respondents had an error margin of 4.5 percentage points.

The same survey showed Netanyahu's Likud Party and electoral partner Israel Beiteinu losing some support, but his hard-line bloc was still favored to form the next government after Jan. 22 elections.

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HC to hear appeal by ex-minister Maya Kodnani challenging conviction in the 2002 riots case

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court is to hear an appeal against life imprisonment filed by former minister Maya Kodnani in connection with the Naroda Patia massacre on Monday.

A bench of Justice R R Tripathi and Justice R D Kothari will take up the appeals filed by the convicts in this case. There are 27 other convicts along with the former state minister for social justice and woman and children development that have challenged conviction recorded by a special court.

In August, special judge Jyotsna Yagnik awarded 28-year imprisonment to Kodnani after holding her kingpin and instigator of the massacre, wherein 97 persons were killed on the day after Godhra carnage took place - February 28, 2002. The trial court convicted 31 others also with life term in jail. However, the court punished eight persons with imprisonment of 31 years, while ordered that another leader of the mob, Babu Bajrangi, should be jailed till the end of his life. The rest of the convicts got 24 years of imprisonment. The court acquitted 29 persons.

Kodnani's lawyer, Hardik Dave said that Kodnani has challenged the conviction recorded by the designated court and would be heard on Monday for admission purpose.

This case was probed by not less than half-a-dozen police officers before the Supreme Court handed investigation to the special investigation team (SIT). In 2009, the high court set up nine special courts to hear SIT-probed cases. After a lengthy proceedings of 73 months, additional sessions judge Yagnik delivered her verdict that ran into more than 2000 pages.

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Magnitude 4.9 quake jolts Tokyo, no tsunami warning

TOKYO: An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 jolted Tokyo and nearby areas on Saturday, but no tsunami warning has been issued, Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Some trains were temporarily halted but are now back to normal service, public broadcaster NHK said. There were no immediate reports of damage.

The depth of the tremor was 80 km (50 miles) in Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, the Meteorological Agency said.

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Congress formally launches panchayat election campaign in Assam

GUWAHATI: The ruling Congress in Assam today formally launched the panchayat election campaign by giving a clarion call to the people to root out the communal and divisive forces and vote the party to power.

"We will win this is for sure. The communal and divisive forces of BJP, AGP and AIUDF will not work, the people are vigilant enough", Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said while addressing a huge rally at the Khanapara veterinary field here.

Coming down heavily on the BJP and AGP for their vote based politics, the chief minister alleged that these parties "wake up before any election".

"Otherwise there is no entity for them but you will see them active before any election which only proves their selfish desires", Gogoi said.

Claiming that the party will comfortably win the panchayat poll scheduled early next near, the chief minister said the policies of the government in ushering in development will speak for itself and people will bring "us to power".

Charging the then prime minister of the NDA government Atal Behari Vajpayee of "welcoming illegal migrants" by declaring they will be issued work permits, the chief minister vowed that the process of issuing voters identity cards to "genuine Indian citizens" have started and it will be completed soon.

"Both the AGP and BJP as well as the AIUDF (principal opposition party) are trying to blow up the issue of illegal migrants before any election but this will be not an issue", he said.

APCC president Bhubaneswar Kalita and senior ministers also addressed the rally.

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Twelve killed in Jammu and Kashmir region bus accident

JAMMU: At least 12 people were killed and 38 others injured when a bus carrying a marriage party rolled down into a deep gorge in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district Saturday evening, police said.

The bus was carrying 50 people to Dudu Basantgarh, about 110 km north of Jammu, when it skidded off the road and rolled down into the gorge.

"The bus rolled down about 300 feet down a deep gorge," said a police officer.

Twelve people were killed on the spot while 38 others, including the bridegroom, were injured. The police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) units immediately started the rescue operation.

"There are chances of the toll rising," said the officer.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of lives.

Mountainous roads in Jammu region are notorious for road accidents. They are mostly attributed to over-loading of passenger buses, poor maintenance of vehicles, and shabby road conditions coupled with lack of skills to drive in mountainous conditions.

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Rural spending outpaces urban spending for the first time in 25 years: Crisil research

The author has posted comments on this articleManjiri Damle, TNN | Nov 23, 2012, 06.26PM IST

PUNE: CRISIL Research's recent insight (August 2012) said that rural spending outpaced urban spending between 2009-10 and 2011-12 - for the first time in nearly 25 years.

Through the follow-up insight, the study explores the inter-state differences in the two most critical factors, influencing rural demand for consumer durables. These are discretionary (non-food) household spending and access to infrastructure (electricity and road connectivity). While the study uses state-level consumption expenditure data available up to 2009-10, similar trends are expected to have persisted in subsequent years too as rural wages have continued to rise at a fast pace.

Discretionary spending of a typical rural Indian household rose to Rs 24,000 in 2009-10, from Rs 14,000 in 2004-05 , growing at about 11 per cent per year - faster than the inflation rate of nearly 6 per cent per year over the same period.

Kerala and Punjab bagged the top spots, in terms of the highest discretionary rural household spending, witnessing higher growth over an already high base seen in 2004-05. However, certain other states that were relatively less well-off in 2004-05, also witnessed a surge in discretionary spending.

Among the less well-off states, discretionary rural household spending per year grew at a higher rate than all-India average in Maharashtra and Bihar (12.1 per cent), Gujarat (12.2 per cent) and Madhya Pradesh (11.4 percent). In contrast, discretionary rural household spending grew at the lowest rates in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Karnataka.

The study further said that consumer durables have become more affordable to rural households in recent years, due to rising discretionary spending and relatively low levels of price rise in durables. As a result, at least one in every two rural households owned a bicycle, an electric fan and/or a mobile phone in 2009-10. Despite rising affordability, the pattern of penetration of consumer durables varies distinctly in rural India - even between states where household discretionary spending is at similar levels. This indicates that even though higher income is a necessary factor, it is not the sole factor, influencing consumers' decisions to purchase durables.

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North Korea preparing for missile launch: Japanese media

TOKYO: US satellites have picked up signs that North Korea is preparing to launch a long-range missile, a Japanese newspaper reported.

North Korea moved missile parts from its military factory in Pyongyang to a launch pad in Tongchang-ri in the country's far northwest early November, the Asahi Shimbun said.

The US government has already informed its counterparts in Japan and South Korea about the move, the daily said, adding that the three countries had increased vigilance.

The developments came after North Korea carried out a failed rocket launch in April in what the communist state said was an attempt to put a satellite into orbit from the same launch pad.

According to the daily, images of the shipment recently taken by US satellites were similar to one used in the April launch.

Pyongyang is technically ready to launch a missile late November, but an immediate launch is unlikely ahead of South Korea's presidential election next month, the Asahi said. North Korea has not announced any plans to launch a rocket.

Immediate confirmation by the Japanese government was not available.

In Seoul, a South Korean defence ministry spokesman said it could comment on any matter of intelligence, while a presidential Blue House spokeswoman said she had no information.

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Bal Thackeray's ashes immersed in Arabian Sea

MUMBAI: The ashes of late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray were today immersed in the Arabian Sea by his son and party executive president Uddhav Thackeray.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president and Bal Thackeray's nephew Raj Thackeray was also present at the Gateway of India, where the family had gathered to immerse the ashes.

The 86-year-old Sena patriarch died on November 18 at his residence Matoshree after a prolonged illness.

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We will be able to meet budget target of Rs 30,000 crore: Govt

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Nov 23, 2012, 05.57PM IST

NEW DELHI: Encouraged by the success of Hindustan Copper disinvestment, finance minister P Chidambaram on Friday exuded confidence that the government would be able to meet the budget target of raising Rs 30,000 crore from stake sale in public sector undertaking during the current fiscal. "I am happy that issue has been fully subscribed. This is the resumption of the disinvestment process and we will go forward with the disinvestment processes as approved by the CCEA between now and March," Chidambaram told reporters here.

"... I hope that we can collect the targeted Rs 30,000 crore," he added.

The government's sale of 4 per cent stake in Hindustan Copper was over-subscribed on Friday. A total of 3,89,12,793 shares, worth Rs 603.14 crore, were bid for at the close of trading hours, according to the data available from the stock exchanges. The bids received were more than 3,70,08,720 shares, or 4 per cent shareholding, that were put on offer in the first tranche. The shares were offered at Rs 155 apiece, a 41 per cent discount to Thursday's closing price of HCL on the BSE.

The government has decided to disinvest minority stake in Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd and Steel Authority of India Ltd.

Besides, stake sale in Hindustan Copper Ltd, MMTC Ltd, National Aluminium Company Ltd Oil India Ltd, NTPC Ltd and NMDC Ltd would also take place during the current fiscal.

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Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa lashes out at Centre for its 'negative approach'

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Friday accused the Centre of continuing to adopt a "negative approach" on various issues including the power front and the contentious Cauvery River water issue."It is the same approach that it (Centre) is adopting even in the Mullaperiyar River issue", she said at a marriage function in the city.

"I wanted to fulfill my people's requirement. Is it possible? How many hurdles the centre is creating. It is also usurping the state's rights", she said. Stating that the Centre was also continuously reducing the quantum of kerosene allocation for the state, Jayalalithaa said her repeated letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh fetched only routine acknowledgement that it has been received.

"We have to overcome all these hurdles and challenges. I am working with a resolve to secure the states' rights," she said pledging to achieve them with people's support Jayalalithaa also pointed out that the Centre has remained silent on convening the CRA meeting and it was only at the intervention of the Supreme Court that the state got "some" water from Karnataka.

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Local trains on Harbour line delayed due to technical problem in Mumbai

MUMBAI: Suburban train services between Wadala and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) section of the Harbour line were delayed this morning due to a technical problem on the track, a Central Railway official said.

The problem has been rectified but trains are running late as a precautionary measure, the official said.

"A fracture was found on the track at Wadala station because of which there was some delay in the services. The problem has been fixed but a caution has been issued due to which there is a delay of 15-20 minutes on the Up line towards CST," he said.

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Kasab's execution revives memory of mass murder on 26/11: Pak daily Dawn

ISLAMABAD: The execution of Ajmal Amir Kasab has revived the memory of a senseless but well-planned act of mass murder that brought Pakistan and India to the brink of war, leading Pakistani daily Dawn said Thursday.

Four years after the Mumbai terror attack, many questions still remain unanswered, the Dawn said in an editorial.

Pakistani national Kasab, the sole surviving member of a 10-member terrorist group that attacked Mumbai on Nov 26, 2008, was hanged in an Indian jail on Wednesday.

"Who were the brains behind the slaughter of the civilians? What did they propose to achieve? And Where and how were the gunmen trained and armed," the daily asked.

Although Islamabad has acted to reveal the work of a few fanatic killers, "that doesn't serve to hide the shortcomings in the working of Pakistan's anti-terrorism apparatus".

Why did these activities go unnoticed in Pakistan, it asked.

It exposed Pakistan's inability to keep tabs on organisations that manage to amass enough resources to run clandestine cells that undertake operations of such magnitude.

"Who brainwashed them into undertaking that ignoble mission? Who provided the operational facilities, including the boat journey to the Indian port?"

The Pakistani part of the trial is still dragging, prompting allegations from New Delhi that Islamabad is not serious.

Pakistanis deserve to know what the government intends to do to ensure that such a tragedy is not repeated, the daily asked. "The issue is linked to the hydra-headed monster that terrorism has become for us."

Militants are now operating throughout Pakistan and feel free to choose their targets, strike at will and plan operations abroad, the daily rued.

The lesson to be drawn from the Mumbai events and its aftermath is that the government must make efforts to ensure that the state and citizens unite to root out terrorism.

Kasab's end came five days before the fourth anniversary of the brutal terror attacks that claimed 166 lives and left injured 300 people. Nine of his associates, who had sneaked into Mumbai for the three-day carnage, had been gunned down.

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NSG commando, injured during 26/11, claims non-payment of financial benefits

NEW DELHI: A former NSG commando, who fought terrorists in the 26/11 attack and was invalidated from service after he became medically unfit, on Thursday claimed he has not got any financial benefits or pension and the money "gifted" to him and his colleagues.

Flanked by activist-politician Arvind Kejriwal and his associates, 34-year-old former NSG commando Surender Singh told a press conference that he has so far received just Rs 4 lakh, including Rs 2.5 lakh from the Government of India, as financial benefits.

However, the government rejected his claim with Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari saying that the commando has been paid Rs 31 lakh in the form of ex-gratia payment by the Governments of India and Maharashtra.

Interestingly, the Government's rejection first came on PIB's twitter handle even as the press conference was on.

Narating his story, Singh said he was severely injured in the operation to flush out terrorists from the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai and was invalidated from service in October, 2011.

Since last year, he alleged, he has not received "even a single paise" from the government.

Singh claimed that NSG commandos, who were injured in the 26/11 operation, received a "number of gifts in the form of cheques" but the force had not dispersed them to the people concerned.

"I saw a file in which the photocopy of a cheque of Rs 2 lakh each from Rohan Motors Pvt Ltd and another firm were received in my name. I never got the money. Not just me but none of my colleagues got the money which came in their name. I want to know who en-cashed them and where are they now?" he asked.

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1996 Lajpat Nagar blasts: Delhi court commutes terrorist's death sentence

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Thursday commuted to life term the death sentence awarded to a Jammu Kashmir Islamic Front (JKIF) terrorist in connection with the 1996 Lajpat Nagar blast case.

The high court also acquitted two others in the case who had also been awarded death, while upholding the life term awarded to a fourth convict.

The verdict came on an appeal filed by the four convicts.

The 1996 Lajpat Nagar blasts had killed 13 people.

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Intellectuals bat for controversial author Taslima Nasreen's return to Kolkata

KOLKATA: Demanding the return of exiled controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen to Kolkata, a section of intellectuals and rights activists have alleged that the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal was silent on the issue as it was "apprehensive of a backlash from Islamic fundamentalists".

"Being an author, why can't Taslima have the independence to write? It's the readers who decide what they want to read. Readers haven't spurned her. Let there be a decision on her return," said Magsaysay-winning author Mahasweta Devi in a letter that was read out at a meeting Thursday organised by intellectuals and activists.

Nasreen, author of the controversial "Lajja" was exiled from the city on this day (Nov 22) in 2007 after some religious clergy issued a fatwa against her. The issue also sparked violence, and the then Left Front government deported her from the state.

Since then, Nov 22 has been observed as "Lajja Diavs" (Day of Shame) by a section a intellectuals and rights activists.

Observing that readers had not raised any objection to Nasreen's writing, Mahasweta Devi demanded that she be allowed to return to the city so that she could continue to write.

"I sincerely hope and wish that Taslima returns to Kolkata and keeps writing like she used to. Writing in the state is not an offence. This government has come to power only because the people who voted had desired a change," she said in the letter.

Speaking on the occasion, noted educationalist Sunando Sanyal accused the incumbent government of being silent on the issue.

"Perhaps the government is afraid of a backlash from islamic fundamentalists. The people who earlier had criticised the decision are now in power but unfortunately they are silent," said Sanyal.

Human rights activist Sujato Bhadra said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had clearly denied providing any help in this matter.

"Last year I met her (Banerjee) but she clearly said she could not help us. But we will continue to raise our voice demanding Nasreen's return," said Bhadra.

Nasreen fled Bangladesh in 1994, after "Lajja", published in 1993, became hugely controversial for its depiction of a Hindu family persecuted by Muslims.

Nasreen has since lived in exile in different cities, including New Delhi.

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Pakistan claims it 'received', 'acknowledged' India's note on Kasab's hanging

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday rejected India's assertion that it refused to accept a letter on the decision to hang Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving Pakistani terrorist involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, saying it had "received that note and acknowledged its receipt."

Reacting to the execution of Kasab in a jail in Maharashtra early this morning, Foreign Office spokesman Moazzam Khan said Islamabad had adopted the clear and consistent position of condemning terrorism in all its forms.

"We condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestation," Khan said in a statement.

"We are willing to cooperate and work closely with all countries of the region to eliminate the scourge of terrorism."

On India's assertion that it had informed in advance Pakistan about the decision to hang Kasab but Islamabad refused to acknowledge the letter, Khan said, "these reports are incorrect and baseless."

The Indian Deputy High Commissioner visited the Foreign Office last evening with the note regarding Kasab's execution and the Director General for South Asia in the Foreign Ministry "received that note and acknowledged its receipt," he said.

Kasab was the only survivor of a group of 10 terrorists trained and backed by the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba that targeted Mumbai four years ago.

A total of 166 people, including several foreigners, were killed over a period of three days by the attackers, who were controlled by handlers based in Karachi.

Pakistani authorities have arrested seven persons, including LeT operational commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, and charged them with planning, financing and executing the attacks.

However, their trial by a Rawalpindi-based anti-terrorism court has been virtually stalled for over a year due to various technical reasons.

Islamabad has rejected Delhi's calls for action against LeT founder Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, the mastermind of the attacks, claiming India has not provided any evidence to facilitate his prosecution.

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India opposes UN resolution for abolition of death penalty

NEW DELHI: When preparations were on to make hang Pakistani Ajmal Amir Kasab, Indian diplomats were opposing a UN General Assembly resolution for the abolition of death penalty.

Kasab, the only Pakistani terrorist to be caught during the Mumbai terror attack of 2008, was hanged in a Pune jail at 7.30am on Wednesday after his mercy plea was rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee.

The execution of Kasab showed that India was in no mood to support the move to abolish death penalty.

A record 110 countries supported the resolution while India, China, Pakistan, South Korea, Japan and the US were among the 39 countries which opposed it.

Another 36 countries abstained from voting.

The UN resolution was first adopted in 2007 by 104 UN member states in favour, 54 countries against and 29 abstentions.

While voting against the UN resolution Monday, India maintained that every nation had the sovereign right to determine its own legal system.

"India has done the right thing by opposing the resolution. Death penalty should be there as a deterrent punishment. Otherwise lawlessness will prevail," attorney Guneet Chaudhary told IANS.

"Countries that face terrorism cannot abolish death penalty," he added.

But Amnesty International vehemently opposes capital punishment.

"Capital punishment is irrevocable. All judicial systems make mistakes, and as long as the death penalty persists, innocent people will be executed," Amnesty says.

Statistics by Amnesty show that in 1977, only 16 countries had abolished death penalty while the figure now is over 100.

In 2011, 21 countries carried out executions and at least 63 to have imposed death sentences. In 2010, the figure was 23 and 67 respectively.

In 2011, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the US reported the highest number of executions worldwide.

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Educated women should not seek special privileges: Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

The author has posted comments on this articleAnshul Dhamija, TNN | Nov 21, 2012, 07.01PM IST

BANGALORE: Educated women shouldn't ask for special privileges, says Kiran Mazumdar Shaw.

Delivering the keynote address at the launch of the Bangalore chapter of FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO), a division of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Shaw urged educated women to stand on their own feet and not seek special privileges and attention.

"There are many women who need those special privileges, but we (educated women) should be ashamed to ask for them," the founder and chairperson of Biocon said.

Shaw, who has created a Rs 1,500-crore biopharmaceutical company in three decades, also said that women who believed that their sense of purpose was only to run a home and look after their kids weren't doing justice to their education.

Shaw narrated how she had faced a huge credibility hurdle in the early days of Biocon, when she sought a loan from the Karnataka State Finance Corporation (KSFC).

"They (KSFC) encouraged me to take a loan from a special cell that they had for women entrepreneurs, handicapped entrepreneurs, unskilled entrepreneurs and backward classes," Shaw said. But she refused the loan "because neither was I handicapped nor was I backward. And so what if I'm a woman? I should be on par with the men."

The FICCI Ladies Organization, headquartered in New Delhi, is present in ten cities in India, with the addition of its Bangalore chapter headed by Shubha Kulkarni, director, Altissimo Consulting Service.

Kavitha Varadaraj, president, FLO, said the organization acts as catalyst for the social and economic advancement of women and society at large.

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Kasab hanging to have adverse impact on Indians in Pakistan jails, says Kuldeep Nayar

Rohtak: Veteran journalist and former Rajya Sabha MP Kuldeep Nayar has justified the hanging of Pakistan terrorist and convict in Mumbai attack case in 2008, Azmal Kasab who was hanged to death in Yerwada jail in Pune on Wednesday morning. Addressing a 'Meet-the-Press' programme organised jointly by the Haryana Union of Journalists (registered under the Trade Union Act) and the Press Club in Rohtak, Nayar said "It's a delayed but justified decision. It will have positive reaction from India but draw counter reaction from the neighbouring country".

He said that Indians languishing in the Pak jails could be in more trouble after the hanging as they are likely to lose any sympathetic consideration for their release from the Pak authorities. Asked about the fate of another terror mastermind Afzal Guru who is also on the death row like Kasab for many years, Nayar stated that his fate is linked with the Kashmir problem which is perhaps adding to the quandary of the Indian government in taking a decision over his fate. The veteran journalist also expressed concern over the changing face of journalism in India.

"With most of the Media groups being owned by the individuals/corporate entities, the authorities of the journalist as well as editor has been eroded to some extent. Still the media have immense impact and credibility among the masses", he said. While advocating for in-house mechanism to curb malpractices in the media, Nayar stated that he had proposed to the Editors' Guild of India to make it mandatory for newspaper editors to declare their assets but it was turned down. Haryana union of Journalists' district president Tarif Sharma, Press Club Rohtak president Manoj Prabhakar and other members of the two organizations attended the press conference.

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Online petition urges Maharashtra DGP to drop charges against Palghar girls

NEW DELHI: An online campaign petitioning the director general of police, Maharashtra to drop the charges against the two Palghar girls, Shaheen Dhadha and Renu Srinivasan, has gathered more than 8,500 signatures at the time of writing, numbers steadily climbing. Started by a Kolkata-based 28-year-old Mukut Ray on Tuesday, the petition will be sent to the police commissioner of Thane, the chief minister of Maharashtra and director general of police, Maharashtra after it hits the 10,000-mark.

"I started out with a Facebook status, to see what my friends thought of it. But they were scared to even 'like' it. They asked me if I was sure I wanted to do this. But I was very angry and frustrated about what had happened. It is undemocratic and totally wrong," says Ray, who works for a non-profit organisation that works for underprivileged women and children.

Ray says she did not expect the kind of response she received for the petition, hosted on the website change.org. There were obvious apprehensions about posting it online since the arrests in question had been made for voicing a contrarian opinion on the web.

The Palghar girls were arrested after one of them posted a status update wondering about the efficacy of the state bandh following Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's death. The other was arrested for merely "liking" the status. Shaheen Dhadha's uncle's ortheopaedic clinic in Palghar was also vandalized by Shiv Sainiks before the arrest. The girls were arrested under section 505 (2) of the IPC and released later on bail. Nine Shiv Sainiks were arrested for vandalism.

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Warm reception awaits as Sunita Williams heads for Houston

HOUSTON: A warm reception is in the offing for record-setting astronaut Sunita Williams as the Indian-American, along with fellow cosmonaut Aki Hoshide, heads for Houston after completing her space voyage.

While Williams will arrive in Houston with Hoshide today, her another fellow cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko is returning to a Russian space facility outside Moscow.

Her family, which arrived here on November 18 from Boston, has expressed gratitude for encouragement and prayers by people in India for Sunita's safe return.

"We are happy and thankful to Lord for her successful Mission. We are so very thankful to everyone in India for their encouragement and prayers for their daughter Suni," Williams's father Deepak Pandya told PTI.

"We will meet her at the airport with her husband and family. We went to Nasa space center and saw return of three astronauts coming down to earth by Soyuz. We were all joyful to witness Suni's safe return," he said.

Williams, who was commander of Expedition 33 on the International Space Station, returned to earth after 127 days in space with a new record under her belt - the most spacewalking time by a female at 50 hours and 40 minutes over seven career excursions.

She returned home with two space-going colleagues Aki Hoshide of Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule that landed in Kazakhstan yesterday.

Williams logged 322 days during two space flights making her second on the list of most experienced US female astronauts. She also holds the record of longest spaceflight (195 days) for female space travellers.

She spent 125 of their 127 days in space circling Earth onboard the ISS.

The trio blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on July 15.

While on the outpost, they welcomed SpaceX's Dragon capsule making its first official cargo delivery, which included fresh apples and chocolate-vanilla swirl ice cream.

Nasa says the returning expedition conducted a range of scientific experiments, including testing radiation levels on the orbiting outpost, assessing effects of micro-gravity on the spinal cord and investigating melting glaciers, seasonal changes and human impacts on the ecosystem.

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China says US overtakes European Union as its top export market

BEIJING: China said on Tuesday that the United States has overtaken the European Union as its biggest export market, as the continent's debt crisis has sent demand slumping.

"The biggest is the US and the EU is second," commerce ministry spokesman Shen Danyang told reporters at a regular briefing. "The EU used to be the biggest."

China's exports to the United States in the first 10 months of this year totalled $289.3 billion, while shipments to the EU came to $276.8 billion, according to Chinese customs figures.

Weak demand from both Europe and the US has been a big factor as China's economic growth has slowed over the past seven quarters to the end of September.

Economic growth in the United States remains weak but is expanding, while the eurozone's debilitating debt crisis has dragged it back into recession.

Shen also said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations had moved past Japan as China's third-biggest export market. Japan, which is in the midst of a diplomatic row with China that has hit trade between the two nations, slipped to fourth place.

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India military ties can alter world power dynamics: US thinktank

WASHINGTON: Suggesting that the US relationship with India has the potential to alter the power dynamics in Asia and the world, a leading US think tank has proposed a deeper military engagement between two countries.

This "can have a range of strategic benefits, including the enhancement of military capabilities, building long-term professional relationships, as well as strategic signalling to allies, partners, and potential adversaries," says a new report by the Wadhwani chair in US-India Policy Studies at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

In the case of US-India military ties, the relationship has witnessed elements of all three benefits in a short period of time, says the report entitled "US-India Military Engagement: Steady as They Go", noting India now conducts more exercises with the United States than with any other country in the world.

Authored by S. Amer Latif, a visiting fellow with the Wadhwani Chair, the report examines the current state of bilateral military relations and puts forward a series of recommendations to strengthen these ties.

However, there are limits to how far military engagement can go over the next 5 to 10 years given a number of challenges that exist, the report says noting "both sides have yet to develop a common strategic end state that defines their relationship."

"Part of the problem lies in India's reluctance to become too closely entwined with the United States due to its foreign policy orientation of 'strategic autonomy,' which eschews excessively close relations with any single power," it says.

At a practical level, this approach hinders the development of interoperability between the military services since the concept carries a connotation of an alliance-like relationship within India, the report says.

Despite the range of obstacles to deeper cooperation, there are several practical steps both sides can take to continue building on their recent record of strengthening military cooperation, it says.

As India's power and confidence grow in the coming years, bilateral expectations and engagement can adjust accordingly, the report suggests.

"However, much more could be accomplished if both sides apply themselves and remove the current obstacles to military cooperation."

"With the twenty-first century poised to be an Asian one, the United States and India now have an opportunity to develop a relationship that will not only create a stable and secure environment for each other, but the larger Indo-Pacific region as well," the report concludes.

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Ponty Chadha's guards arrested for entering disputed farmhouse before shootout

NEW DELHI: Four guards of Ponty Chadha were arrested here for allegedly entering a disputed farmhouse in south Delhi and thrashing men there on Saturday hours before the liquor baron was killed on the same spot, police said.

The four men were among a group of people who entered the farmhouse in Chhattarpur on Saturday morning, beat up men of Ponty's younger brother Hardeep, with whom the liquor baron had a dispute, and threw them out.

"We have placed them under arrest. A case of trespass, hurt, dacoity and abduction were registered earlier in connection with this incident," a senior police official said.

This incident had preceded the shootout later in the farmhouse in which Ponty and Hardeep were killed.

Ponty's men had on Saturday morning entered Chhattarpur farmhouse, beat up some of Hardeep's men, took away their mobile phones, confined them and threw out some others.

Tension was brewing between Ponty and his brother Hardeep for a couple of days before their killing.

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Obama sends Hillary Clinton to Middle East amid Gaza crisis

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: President Barack Obama is sending secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton to the Middle East in hopes that she can help mediate an end to bloody conflict in the region.
A deputy White House national security adviser says Clinton will depart Tuesday from Cambodia, where she had accompanied Obama on a visit to Southeast Asia.
Clinton will begin her Mideast diplomacy by meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. She also will meet with Palestinian officials in Ramallah before heading to Cairo to meet with leaders in Egypt.
Israel has been firing rockets into the Gaza Strip in an attempt to end months of rocket fire out of the Hamas-ruled territory.
The US says Israel has a right to defend itself.

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2G case: RBI governor D Subbarao deposes in court

NEW DELHI: RBI governor D Subbarao today deposed in a Delhi court as a prosecution witness in the 2G case, saying he had questioned in 2007 the spectrum fee of around Rs 1600 crore for pan India licence.

Subbarao, who was the finance secretary from April 2007 to September 2008, is a key witness in the case in which former telecom minister A Raja and others are facing trial.

During the recording of his statement, Subbarao told the court he had written a letter on November 22, 2007 to the then telecom secretary D S Mathur in which he had questioned the spectrum fee of around Rs 1600 crore for pan India licence.

He said that he had also questioned as to how the spectrum fee of Rs 1600 crore, which was fixed in 2001, could be applied in 2007.

"I also questioned how the rate of Rs 1600 crore, determined in as far as back in 2001, could be applied for licences given in 2007...," he told special CBI Judge O P Saini.

CBI prosecutor A K Singh also showed various files and notes of various departments concerned, including that of department of telecom and ministry of finance, to Subbarao during the recording of his statement which is likely to continue throughout the day.

Till November 11, the court had recorded statements of 77 CBI witnesses in the case in which Raja is the key accused.

Besides Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi, former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura, Raja's erstwhile private secretary R K Chandolia, Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, Unitech Ltd MD Sanjay Chandra, three top executives of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (RADAG) — Gautam Doshi, Surendra Pipara and Hari Nair — are facing trial in the case.

Directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal, Kalaignar TV Director Sharad Kumar and Bollywood producer Karim Morani are also accused in the case.

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Maharashtra observes day of homage, Mumbai crawls back to normalcy

MUMBAI: Trade associations in Mumbai and Maharashtra have called for a voluntary shutdown on Monday as a mark of respect for Shiv Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray, who passed away on Saturday afternoon.

The Federation of Associations of Maharashtra (FAM) called upon the trading community to shut down businesses and observe 'Shradhanjali Diwas' (a day of homage) on Monday for Thackeray.

"The state of Maharashtra and its trading community has lost a true friend and a well-wisher. Balasaheb was a great son of the soil and a true nationalist who minced no words to express his views," said FAM president Mohan Gurnani.

Various organisations of traders and dealers are affiliated to FAM, including Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) and markets dealing in grains, sugar, dry fruits, metal, iron and steel and chemicals.

The retail and wholesale jewellery market - Zaveri Bazar - and all other such units will also remain shut on Monday.

The Shiv Sena, however, denied having called a shutdown.

"The shutdown call is purely voluntary. We have not called for any kind of shutdown," party spokesperson Anil Parab told IANS.

However, auto rickshaws and taxis might ply if the situation is calm.

All educational institutes including schools and colleges will also remain closed on Monday owing to the call given by various bus owners' associations of the city and state.

Public transport, including city buses and local trains, will ply as usual throughout the city and state.

Thackeray's death after months of liver and pancreatic ailments came at 3.33pm on Saturday. His son and political heir Uddhav Thackeray consigned to the flames the mortal remains of the demagogic leader on Sunday at Shivaji Park here.

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PM conveys concerns over trade imbalance with China to Wen Jiabao

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Nov 19, 2012, 04.08PM IST

PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday invited Chinese investments in the infrastructure sector while conveying India's concerns over trade imbalance to his counterpart Wen Jiabao, who said this could be addressed "gradually".

India and China will be holding the second Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) in Delhi later this month with an aim of enhancing business engagement between the two of the fastest growing economies, significantly at a time when the western world is facing crisis.

After the SED, a date will be decided for the next round of talks between Special Representatives of the two countries on boundary and other issues, to be held in China shortly.

At the 40-minute meeting here on the sidelines of ASEAN Summit, the two leaders discussed a wide range of subjects including economic cooperation, boundary issue, defence, maritime security, besides international matters.

Both the leaders agreed that there is enough space for both India and China to develop while expanding cooperation between them side by side. Wen said this was the guiding principle of his country's approach towards India.

"The economic engagement was given a great deal of importance by the Prime Minister in his remarks," foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai told journalists while briefing on the "fruitful and detailed" meeting, the 15th between the two leaders during the last eight years.

Singh emphasised that he was committed to working for realisation of "full potential" of economic cooperation between the two countries, Mathai said.

Singh referred to Indian exports and "emphasised the need for greater market access for Indian exports particularly in areas of Services, IT and Pharma", Mathai said.

"The Prime Minister also welcomed Chinese investment in infrastructure sector which he said would help create employment and help bridging trade deficit between the two countries," he said.

Wen responded by saying he was, "looking forward to gradual balancing of trade and they (China) were cognizant of India's particular interest in these areas.

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Geetika suicide: Ex-Haryana minister Gopal Kanda denied bail by Delhi HC

NEW DELHI: Former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda, arrested for his alleged role in air hostess Geetika Sharma suicide case, was on Monday denied bail by the Delhi high court.

Justice Pratibha Rani dismissed Kanda's bail plea after hearing arguments from both the prosecution and defence counsel and said she would pass a detailed order later.

Appearing for Kanda, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi argued that several months have passed since his client's arrest on August 18, while the police too has filed the chargesheet in the case and "now my client is entitled to bail."

He also argued that the circumstances of the case show "it is not a case of abetment of suicide but a case of infatuation."

He further argued that his client always encouraged the deceased, Geetika, to remain with him but he had no intention to "provoke her to commit suicide."

Opposing Kanda's bail plea, Additional Solicitor General Siddharth Luthra said "we are in the process of further investigation in the case and he, being a politician and an influential person, may influence witnesses in the case."

During the argument, Justice Pratibha Rani also pulled up Kanda's counsel for not approaching the sessions court against denial of bail to him by the trial court.

Kanda had moved the high court on November 1 against the September 20 order of the trial court which had dismissed his bail plea on the ground for need of further probe due to a medical report that the victim was pregnant in March this year.

23-year-old Geetika was found dead on August 5 at her Ashok Vihar residence in North West Delhi. In her August 4 suicide note, Geetika had said she was ending her life due to "harassment" by Kanda and his aide Aruna Chaddah, co-accused in the case. They, however, had denied the charge.

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UPA minister receiving honour from convict Bibi Jagir Kaur attracts criticsim

JALANDHAR: Participation of union minister of state for social justice Balram Naik, in a function in Bholath constituency on Sunday and sharing stage with SAD MLA and former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur - who is a convict in the case of death of her daughter and is currently out from jail on bail - and receiving honour from her, has triggered a controversy with his own party demanding an apology from him.

Criticizing Naik on this account former Bholath MLA Sukhpal Khaira said that Naik should seek public apology for allowing a convict Bibi Jagir Kaur to honour him besides sharing dias with her, during a public function on Sunday. "In case the minister fails to tender a public apology, he would be gheraod and greeted with black flags next time he visits Punjab," Khaira announced.

The function was organized by Baba Makhan Shah Lubana Foundation headed by former NRI Sabha president Pritam Singh Narangpur, a supporter of Bibi Jagir Kaur and Naik happens to be all India president of Banjara Sewak Samaj. Bibi Jagir Kaur was convicted and sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment and after serving around six months in jail she has recently come out from jail after being granted bail by Punjab and Haryana High Court during pendency of her appeal in the High Court.

"The participation and honouring of the Minister by a convict has sent a very negative signal to the society in general and youth in particular. By allowing a convict to garland him and accept honours the Union Minister has done gross disservice to morality in politics," Khaira said without mincing words.

"Persons such as Balram Nayak holding responsible public offices are expected to lead by example and are not to stoop to such low levels of politicking," he said.

"This blatant and brazen wrongful act of the Minister amounts to promoting criminality in politics. In other words it means that we should not hesitate to indulge in criminal acts while being in politics. It is also highly immoral for Bibi Jagir Kaur to garland and honour a Union Congress Minister, while her party leaves no stone unturned in severely criticizing the UPA government daily," he added.

Khaira held that upholding high moral values and principles he as a representative of the party in the area strongly condemned the "immoral, unethical and cowardly" act of the Union Minister and demanded immediate public apology.

In case the minister fails to tender a public apology, he would be 'Gheraod' and greeted with black flags next time he visits Punjab.

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Israel bombards Gaza Strip, shoots down rocket

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip: Israel destroyed the headquarters of Hamas' prime minister and blasted a sprawling network of smuggling tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, broadening a blistering four-day-old offensive against the Islamic militant group even as diplomatic efforts to broker a cease-fire appeared to be gaining steam.

Hamas officials said a building used by Hamas for broadcasts was bombed and three people were injured. The injured were from Al Quds TV, a Lebanon-based television channel. The building is also used by foreign news outlets including Germany's ARD, Kuwait TV and the Italian RAI and others.

The Israeli military spokesman was not immediately aware of the strikes but said they were investigating.

In neighboring Egypt, President Mohammed Morsi hosted leaders from Hamas and two key allies, Qatar and Turkey, to seek a way to end the fighting.

"There are discussions about the ways to bring a cease-fire soon, but there are no guarantees until now,'' Morsi said at a news conference. He said he was working with Turkey, Arab countries, the U.S., Russia and western European countries to halt the fighting.

Israel launched the operation on Wednesday in what it said was an effort to end months of rocket fire out of the Hamas-ruled territory. It began the offensive with an unexpected airstrike that killed Hamas' powerful military chief, and since then has relentlessly targeted suspected rocket launchers and storage sites.

In all, 48 Palestinians, including 15 civilians, have been killed and more than 400 civilians wounded, according to medical officials.

Three Israeli civilians have been killed and more than 50 wounded.

Israeli military officials expressed satisfaction with their progress Saturday, claiming they have inflicted heavy damage to Hamas.

"Most of their capabilities have been destroyed,'' Maj. Gen. Tal Russo, Israel's southern commander, told reporters. Asked whether Israel is ready to send ground troops into Gaza, he said: ``Absolutely.''

"Most of their weapons are stored in civilian's homes, they launch rockets from residential areas. We do not want to hit civilians in Gaza but we do want to hit the hornets' nest of terror in Gaza,'' he said.

Footage released Saturday by the Islamic Jihad showed rockets being fired from a hidden bunker in a residential area of Gaza.

Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon told channel 1 TV that ``Hamas is committing a double war crime, they are firing rockets at Israeli civilians while using Palestinian civilians as human shields.''

The White House said President Barack Obama was also in touch with the Egyptian and Turkish leaders. The U.S. has solidly backed Israel so far.

Speaking on Air Force One, deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said that the White House believes Israel ``has the right to defend itself'' against attack and that the Israelis will make their own decisions about their ``military tactics and operations.''

Despite the bruising offensive, Israel has failed to slow the barrages of rockets from Gaza.

The Israeli military said 160 rockets were launched into Israel on Saturday, raising the total number to roughly 500 since this week's fighting began. Eight Israelis, including five civilians, were lightly wounded Saturday, the army said.

Israel carried out at least 300 airstrikes on Saturday, the military said, and it broadened its array of targets. One air raid flattened the three-story office building used by Hamas' prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh. He was not inside the building at the time.

In southern Gaza, aircraft went after the tunnels that militants use to smuggle in weapons and other contraband from neighboring Egypt. Tunnel operators said the intensity of the bombing was unprecedented, and that massive explosions could be heard kilometers (miles) away, both in Gaza and in Egypt.

The operators, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the illicit nature of their business, said they cannot approach the tunnel area to assess the damage, but the blasts appeared to be more powerful than in Israel's last major push to destroy the tunnels during a previous offensive four years ago. The tunnels are a key lifeline for Hamas, bringing in both weapons and supporting a lucrative trade that helps fund the group's activities.

Missiles also smashed into two small security facilities and the massive Hamas police headquarters in Gaza City, setting off a huge blaze that engulfed nearby houses and civilian cars parked outside, the Interior Ministry reported. No one was inside the buildings.

Early on Sunday, Gaza health official Ashraf al-Kidra said two teenagers were killed and ten people were injured when a building was hit.

Gaza residents reported heavy Israeli raids overnight.

Air attacks knocked out five electricity transformers, cutting off power to more than 400,000 people in southern Gaza, according to the Gaza electricity distribution company. People switched on backup generators for limited electrical supplies.

Hamas has unveiled an arsenal of more powerful, longer-range rockets this week, and for the first time has struck at Israel's two largest cities, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Both cities, more than 70 kilometers (45 miles) from Gaza, had previously been beyond rocket range.

In a psychological boost for Israel, a new rocket-defense system known as "Iron Dome'' knocked down a rocket headed toward Tel Aviv, eliciting cheers from relieved residents huddled in fear after air raid sirens sounded in the city.

Police said a second rocket also targeted Tel Aviv. It was not clear where it landed or whether it was shot down. No injuries were reported. It was the third straight day the city was targeted.

Israel says the Iron Dome system has shot down some 250 of 500 rockets fired toward the country this week, most in southern Israel near Gaza.

Saturday's interception was the first time Iron Dome has been deployed in Tel Aviv. The battery was a new upgraded version that was only activated on Saturday, two months ahead of schedule, the Defense Ministry said.

Israel has vowed to stage a ground invasion, a scenario that would bring the scale of fighting closer to that of a war four years ago. Hamas was badly bruised during that conflict but has since restocked its arsenal with more and better weapons. Five years after seizing control of Gaza, it has also come under pressure from smaller, more militant groups to prove its commitment to fighting Israel as it turns its focus to governing the seaside strip.

Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak has authorized the emergency call-up of up to 75,000 reserve troops ahead of a possible ground offensive. Israel has massed thousands of troops and dozens of tanks and armored vehicles along the border in recent days.

Egypt, which is led by Hamas' parent movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, has been spearheading efforts to forge a cease-fire. Morsi has vowed to stand strong with the people of Gaza and this week recalled Cairo's ambassador from Israel to protest the offensive.

Quietly, though, non-Muslim Brotherhood members in Morsi's government are said to be pushing Hamas to end its rocket fire on Israel. Morsi is under pressure not to go too far and risk straining ties with Israel's ally, the United States.

The Hamas website said Saturday that its leader, Khaled Meshaal, met with the head of Egyptian intelligence for two hours Saturday in Cairo, a day after the Egyptian official was in the Gaza Strip trying to work out an end to the escalation in violence.

Hamas has not immediately accepted Egypt's proposal for a cease-fire, but the group's website said it could end its rocket fire if Israel agrees to end "all acts of aggression and assassination'' and lift its five-year blockade on Gaza. Egypt will present the Hamas position to Israeli officials.

Israeli officials say they are not interested in a "timeout,'' and want firm guarantees that the rocket fire, which has paralyzed life in an area home to 1 million Israelis, finally ends. Past cease-fires have been short lived.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he spoke with the leaders of Britain, Poland, Portugal, Bulgaria to press his case. "No government in the world would allow a situation where its population lives under the constant threat of rockets,'' Netanyahu told them, according to a statement from his office.

The diplomatic activity in Cairo illustrated Hamas' rising influence in a changing Middle East. The Arab Spring has brought Islamists to power and influence across the region, helping Hamas emerge from years of isolation.

Morsi warned that a ground operation by Irael will have "repercussions'' across the region. "All must realize the situation is different than before, and the people of the region now are different than before and the leaders are different than before,'' he said at a joint press conference with Turkey's Islamist prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan, like Morsi, leads an Islamist government that has chilly diplomatic ties with Israel.

On Friday, Morsi sent his prime minister to Gaza on a solidarity mission with Hamas. And on Saturday, Tunisia's Foreign Minister Rafik Abdessalem visited Gaza as well.

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Pak govt files review petition against Supreme Court verdict

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government has challenged a recent Supreme Court verdict that suggested the President could not indulge in politics as he is expected to be non-partisan and disengaged from all political activities.

Deputy attorney general Dil Muhammad Ali Zai yesterday filed a petition seeking a review of parts of the apex court's ruling on former air force chief Asghar Khan's petition against the rigging of the 1990 general election.

The government stated in the review petition that the Supreme Court did not have the authority to issue such an order regarding the President.

It argued that court's observations regarding the role of the presidency should be reviewed.

In its detailed verdict issued on November 8 in response to Khan's 16-year-old petition, the apex court held former army chief Gen Mirza Aslam Beg and former ISI chief Lt Gen Asad Durrani responsible for distributing millions of rupees among politicians to rig the 1990 elections in favour of the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad political bloc.

The verdict further said the two generals had acted on the instructions of late President Ghulam Ishaq Khan.

In this regard, the ruling stated that presidents in parliamentary republics are "expected to be apolitical/non- partisan and objectively disengaged with any and all affiliations of a political, ethnic, linguistic, or geographic nature".

The apex court's ruling came at a time when the Lahore High Court is hearing another petition accusing President Asif Ali Zardari of contempt for using the presidency for the political activities of his Pakistan People's Party.

The Lahore High Court had said in an order last year that it expected the President to disassociate himself from the activities of the PPP.

The government's review petition further stated that there is currently no active election or political cell in the presidency.

The petition said the Asghar Khan's petition was against the doling out of public funds for the rigging of the 1990 election and did not involve the current President's office.

The review petition further said that the President's authority is symbolic and he does not have any executive powers.

In a related development, Geo News channel reported that the Supreme Court's Registrar returned the review petition as a court fee of Rs 10,000 was not attached to it.

There was no official word on this development.

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It is for oil minister to consider raising LPG cylinder cap: Chidambaram

Consumers have to pay a rate which is more than double the subsidized price of Rs 410.50 per 14.2-kg cylinder for any requirement beyond their quota of six cylinders in a year.

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Nov 18, 2012, 02.20PM IST

NEW DELHI: Amidst demands from within the Congress party to increase the limit on supply of subsidised LPG cylinders, finance minister P Chidambaram said it was for the petroleum ministry to bring a proposal for raising the cap if it feels so.

"(Supply of) six (subsidized) cylinders (per household in a year) was decided by the Cabinet based on the proposal that came from the ministry of petroleum and natural gas. (Now it is) for them to rework it, if they feel it needs to be reworked," he told PTI in an interview.

Consumers have to pay a rate which is more than double the subsidized price of Rs 410.50 per 14.2-kg cylinder for any requirement beyond their quota of six cylinders in a year.

At the recent party conclave at Surajkund, there was a demand for raising the cap to 12 cylinders per household in a year. Even the new oil minister M Veerappa Moily had earlier this month admitted that the decision, taken during term of his predecessor S Jaipal Reddy, had caused hardships.

For a government which stares at the prospect of having to pay Rs 80,000-100,000 crore towards fuel subsidies this fiscal, raising the cap would mean additional outgo and Chidambaram was categorical in stating that the oil ministry should consider finances before moving any note.

"As I said government finances are stressed at the moment. Therefore, I am sure whatever has been proposed (by the oil ministry) will take note of the government finances also," Chidambaram said.

Moily had earlier this month stated that there has been demand from within the Congress party as well as opposition parties to raise the cap.

"They have gone by some arithmetic that on an average only six cylinders are enough (for a household). This is arithmetic (but) there is also a chemistry, which they have not done it," Moily had said.

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Pakistani plane with 183 people catches fire, lands safely

ISLAMABAD: A London-bound Pakistani plane made an emergency landing Sunday after it caught fire during take off from Jinnah International Airport in the port city of Karachi. There was no immediate report of anyone being injured.

The Karachi-Lahore-London flight PK 787, reportedly carrying 167 passengers including the airline officials, landed safely at the airport.

The incident occurred after one of the engines of the national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Airbus 310 caught fire during take off from the airport, forcing it to do an emergency landing, Dawn News reported.

An emergency was declared at the airport following the plane's take off from the runway.

Director Airport Services Asif Bashir, however, said that the engine of the plane did not catch fire. It had only experienced a technical fault, The News reported.

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British Airways apologizes after re-tweeting racial abuse against customer

LONDON: British Airways has launched an investigation after an offensive and racist message was apparently re-tweeted from its official Twitter account.

The BA Twitter account, which has 210,000 followers, reposted the message which included extremely profane language and a racist term against Asian people, yesterday.

After the offensive message was deleted, staff at the airline then tweeted an apology.

It said: "Apologies for the last RT. We are sorry for any offence caused and are investigating how this may have happened," the Daily Mail reported today.

The incident started when a profane message was posted by a disgruntled Twitter user named Jae Jang Ladd.

Another user of the social networking site tweeting under the name Asian Ronaldo, replied, again using profane language, asking Jae Jang Ladd asking him to go back to his country.

This message was then re-tweeted by the official BA Twitter account.

Within minutes, hundreds of Twitters users resent the re -tweet and later more than 160 followers had re-tweeted the apology.

BA spokesman Helena Flynn said the team were thoroughly investigating how the incident had occurred.

She said it had not been ruled out that the account may have been hacked.

Flynn said: 'We don't know yet how this has evolved. "We'd just like to apologise to all of the poor people who have been involved in this and apologise for any offence caused."

She said that police had not been in touch over the post and as yet there had been no official complaints.

BA said the Twitter account was managed by its large marketing team.

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