Kozhikoe, Feb 16: "Being a minority community does not stop any one from prospering and developing. In South Africa, Muslims form only three percent of the population, but in the administration there, they have a 30% representation. Muslims have been handling important posts in education department, Chief Justice, personal advisor to the President etc., in that country. We could achieve this because of constant struggles," said advisor to South African Republic and National Congress president Ibrahim Rasool.

Kabul: US-led coalition in Afghanistan has killed 22 Taliban militants, including two of their commanders, the US military has announced. A Taliban commander, Mullah Patang, and 18 fighters were killed on Monday during an operation at Kapisa, around 50 kilometers north of Kabul, reads a US military statement released Today.

Washington: President Bush's last day in office faced with anti-war protesters, hurling shoes outside the gates of the White House to express their anger. About 500 people marched to the White House on Monday and threw about 40 pairs of shoes at the gate.

Gaza: Human rights group Amnesty International accuses Israel of war crimes, saying its use of white phosphorus shells in Gaza was indiscriminate. "Such extensive use of this weapon in Gaza's densely populated residential neighborhoods is inherently indiscriminate," Donatella Rovera, a Middle East researcher with Amnesty International,

New Delhi: BJP Vice President and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh on Tuesday quit the BJP, resigning from all party posts, saying he was feeling "neglected" in the party. In a letter to party president Rajnath Singh, the 76-year-old leader, who has been sulking over various issues said he was feeling "unhappy" but could not compromise by continuing in the party. Announcing the resignation Kalyan Singh said that "I was humiliated."

Thiruvanthapuram: Kerala cabinet today approved the draft plan outlay of Rs 8,650 crore fixed by the state planning board for the year 2009-10. Briefing reporters after a cabinet meeting, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said the plan size was 12.34 percent bigger than last year's outlay of Rs 7,700 crore. He said the main areas of thrust of the plan for next year was agriculture, livestock, traditional industries and the welfare of weaker sections.

Washington: Barack Hussein Obama will be sworn in as America's 44th and first black President on Tuesday, bringing a message of hope to a nation hungry for change after eight years of George W Bush regime. The 47-year-old first African-American to enter to the White House, Obama would be sworn in by the US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts at noon on Tuesday (2230 IST) at the Capitol Hill.

Jaisalmer: India today successfully test-fired the nuclear-capable BrahMos missile with a range of 290 kms at Pokhran in Rajasthan's desert in a planned launch for the army. The test comes in the midst of heightened tension between India and Pakistan following the Mumbai terror attacks.

Palestinians returning to their neighbourhoods have begun to unearth the true scale of destruction left by Israel's 22-day offensive on the Gaza Strip. The devastation being unveiled comes as Israeli troops continued to pull back from some key points in Gaza towards the border and as the fragile ceasefires declared separately by the Israelis and

Kuwait City: There was little economics and a lot of Middle East politics on the first day of the Arab Economic Summit, which opened here yesterday, with Saudi Arabia warning Israel that an Arab peace offer will not remain on the table forever.

Washington; Barack Obama will be sworn as America's first black president Tuesday under the tightest security ever, shielded by a new, heavily armoured Cadillac limousine, bullet-resistant glass, fighter planes overhead and Secret Service SWAT teams toting automatic weapons. The president-elect himself will wear bullet-resistant clothing, speak behind a protective glass shield and ride in the inauguration parade in an armoured Cadillac limousine

Kannur: A private textile mill godown owned by Kannur Handloom Exports near Melachovve was gutted down in a fire that broke around 3 am on Tuesday. Piles of cloths meant for export were also gutted in the fire

Colombo: At least four Sea Tiger boats were destroyed and a naval fast-attack craft was damaged in a major sea clash off the northeastern Mullaitivu coast, Sri Lanka's defence ministry said Tuesday

DUBAI - Tenants whose home or commercial property is less than a quarter below the average price for a similar premises will not have to pay any increase in rent, according to a decree issued on Monday by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE, in his capacity as Ruler of Dubai.

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Police will file the chargesheet on Tuesday in the Malegaon blast case before a special court as the judicial custody of the 11 accused comes to an end. The case was being probed by Joint Commissioner Hemant Karkare before he fell victim to the terror strike of 26/11 in Mumbai.

Al Ain: Weathermen have warned of thunder in northern and some coastal areas along with intermittent rain all over the country. The sea, which will be moderate in general, may also become rough during the thunder with six-foot waves offshore, according to the National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology.

Dubai: India's national carrier Air India will increase the frequency of flights from Bahrain to Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram from once a week to thrice a week effective Jan 23. The airline, which currently makes one flight between that Gulf country and Thiruvananthapuram every Tuesday, will operate two more flights every Friday and Saturday, the Gulf Daily News reported.

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress-led UDF Opposition in Kerala today decided to resolve the differences between Congress and front partner Kerala Congress (M) which had staked claim for the lone Raja Sabha seat that could be won by the UDF of the three vacant seats from the state

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Sports Council (KSC) has suspended three of its coaches for alleged sexual harassment of women sportspersons.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Monday expressed fears that the much talked about Rs.15 billion 'Smart City' project proposed in Kochi is unlikely to materialise. 'Things have reached a point of no return and it appears that we have lost the project,' UDF convenor P.P. Thankachen said after a party meeting.

Jebaliya: Families began their search for bodies of dead relatives as soon as Israeli soldiers abandoned this devastated refugee camp. Israeli troops began withdrawing from Gaza on Sunday, allowing families and medics to intensify the search for bodies. More than 100 dead recovered Sunday, according to Palestinian health officials.

Kuwait: Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, inaugurated the Arab Economic, Development and Social Summit at Al Tahreer Palace on Monday. UAE President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan headed the UAE delegation to the inaugural session.

Mumbai: Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested in the November 26 terror attacks in the city, was today remanded in police custody till February 2 in the CST firing case. Kasab has been in police custody since his arrest on the night of November 26 and has been booked in 12 cases by the city police.

New Delhi: The BJP Central Election Committee has finalised six candidates for the coming Loksabha Elections in Kerala. 1. Kasargod- K Surendran 2. Vadakara- K P Sreeshan

Nairobi: A bus collided with a lorry on the main Nairobi to Mombasa road killing at least 29 people and injuring 24, Kenyan police said. 'Both drivers were among those killed during the accident that occurred at Kambu market near Mtito Andei at around 1:00 a m (2200 GMT) ,' police spokesman Eric Kiraithe told AFP.

Islamabad: Pakistan today briefed foreign envoys on its response to the Mumbai terror attacks and its own probe into information provided by India on the terrorist incident, as part of an effort to counter the diplomatic initiative launched by New Delhi.

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Monday that countries which do not follow zero tolerance to terrorism must be made to pay a heavy price by international community. "Countries which support or tolerate terrorism must be given no choice but to dismantle Terror infrastructure," said Mukherjee.

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet today recommended imposition of President's rule in Jharkhand in view of the political instability in the state. The 81-member state assembly will be kept under suspended animation, official sources said after the brief unscheduled meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Occupied Jerusalem: A shaky calm appears to be holding in the Gaza Strip after Israel and Palestinian factions separately declared that they would hold fire. Israeli troops and tanks were on the move, heading away from some key points in Gaza towards the border, but it remained unclear whether they were leaving the Palestinian territory or merely.

Kochi: Octogenarian Communist leader E Balanandan died in Kochi on Monday morning. He was ailing for some time and passed away at the Medical Trust Hospital in Kochi at 8.45. He was 85 and suffering from cancer. Due to severe respiratory complaints he was admitted to the hospital and put on ventilator. A stream of leaders and cadres of the CPM visited him. Balanandan's body will be kept at the Ernakulam District committee office for the public to pay respects.

Kuwait City: Gaza is expected to cast a heavy shadow on the first ever Arab economic summit, set to start here on Monday. The announced agenda of the Economic, Social and Development Summit includes major pan-Arab economic issues, including the power and railway link, revamping education and health care, Arab customs union and reducing employment.

Cairo: Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's president, has called for the international community to support ongoing efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the Gaza Strip. He spoke on Sunday as the host of a summit of European and Middle East leaders on the Gaza crisis. The meeting was held in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday,

New York: B Ramalinga Raju, the founder and former head of Satyam Computer Services may have skimmed huge amounts of cash from the company, rather than padded its books as he claims, according to a report in the 'New York Times' that cited a person involved in the Satyam investigation. Satyam, India's No. 4 software services exporter, has been battling for survival since Raju resigned as chairman earlier this month,

New York: India can expect more terror attacks like the Mumbai carnage from Pakistan-based terrorist groups with high body counts and symbolic targets in an escalating terror campaign in South Asia, a study by a leading US think tank has warned. 'India will continue to face a serious jihadist threat from Pakistan-based terrorist groups, and neither Indian nor US policy is likely to reduce that threat in the near future,'

Islamabad : Asserting that all the ‘culprits’ behind the Mumbai attacks ‘must be apprehended’, Pakistan on Sunday said Indian investigators will ‘be more than welcomed’ to help in its probe into the Terror strikes. Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik also said anyone found to be involved in the ‘heinous’ attacks would be prosecuted under the country's anti-terror laws.

KOCHI: The High court today decided to end criminal contempt of court proceedings against Kerala Kaumudi.

Palakkad : Kerala Sunday got its fourth public sector unit (PSU) under the defence ministry for manufacturing military wagons and other items for the forces and railways.

Makkah: Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz urged the Muslim Ummah to close their ranks and confront the challenges facing it in one voice. "The current situation demands the unification of Muslim ranks and facing the world with a single voice after patching up rifts and burying differences," he said in his opening speech at the International Conference on Fatwa and its Regulations.

Manama: Sixteen political societies have set up an alliance to support the Palestinians and spearhead a host of activities that will "defend their rights and promote their cause."

Dubai: More smart radars will be installed as part of Dubai Police's ongoing strategy to reduce the number of traffic accidents.

Washington: US President-elect Barack Obama forewarned Americans of the tough days ahead and said that meeting the challenges being faced by United States, specially the economic crisis, is not going to be easy. Addressing a mammoth crowd, who braving severe cold gathered for the star-studded inaugural celebration at the historic Lincoln Memorial on Sunday,

London: Several hundred pro-Palestinians protesters, including a group of Jews, voiced their concern at London's Trafalgar Square, where several pro-Palestinian protests have been staged since Israel renewed attacks on Gaza in December. Former Labor cabinet minister Tony Benn, among the speakers addressing the crowds,

Occupied Jerusalem: The Israeli military has continued its operation in the Gaza Strip, killing one civilian in Khan Younis and carrying out air raids in the north, just hours after the country's prime minister declared an end to hostilities. Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, had said late on Saturday that Israel had "achieved its military objectives"

Abu Dhabi(WAM): President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Sunday afternoon left here for Kuwait to head UAE delegation at the 1st Arab Economic Summit, which opens tomorrow in the Kuwaiti capital and ends on 20. He was seen off on departure by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,

Mangalore, Jan 18: Nooruddin (22), a vegetable vendor from Kinnigoli, was hospitalised on Friday after he was allegedly “tortured” in the illegal custody of the District Crime Investigation Bureau (DCIB) here. He has sustained “internal injuries” and “kidney damage” and is unable to use his legs, as per the records of the Highland Hospital, where he has been admitted.

Occupied Jerusalem: The Israeli military says five rockets have been fired from Gaza at the southern Israeli town of Sderot, despite Israel's unilateral ceasefire. There were no immediate reports of injuries. In another incident after the truce took hold, militants clashed with troops in northern Gaza, the Israeli military said.

Mumbai: An injured Harbhajan Singh was today left out of the Indian team while Saurashtra all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and Uttar Pradesh seamer Praveen Kumar were drafted in the 15-member squad for the upcoming cricket tour of Sri Lanka starting later this month. Delhi batsman Virat Kohli, who was part of the Indian squad for the ODI series against England late last year, was also dropped from the side. BCCI joint secretary Sanjay Jagdale today announced the 15-member squad which has seven specialist batsmen

Palakkad: Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan laid the foundation stone for a new unit of BEML at Kanjikode, Palakkad here on Sunday. The new unit would be a dedicated centre to manufacture defense equipment, including military wagons, floating bridges and aggregates for rail and metro cars.

Hyderabad: Satyam’s disgraced former chief B Ramalinga Raju was on Sunday taken into police custody for four days, following a Hyderabad court’s The court had granted custody of Raju, his brother and ex-MD Rama Raju and former CFO V Srinivas to police, allowing CID officers to question him, but cushioned him against severe grilling by restraining the cops from questioning him without the presence of Raju's lawyers.

New York: A US Airways airplane that crashed into New York’s Hudson River is being lifted onto a barge on Sunday. Salvage crews used a crane to lift the down aircraft, which looked badly scarred as it was lifted up by five large slings. The plane was to be towed away for examination by investigators probing the accident

Washington: United States President-Elect Barack Obama arrived in Washington on on Saturday night, amid cheering crowds ringing in three days of celebration ahead of his inauguration on Tuesday. Rolling into Washington on a vintage train car, Obama waved to crowds as he completed the symbolic 7-hour journey from Philadelphia to Washington.

Ehud Olmert, Israel's prime minister, has announced a unilateral truce in the Gaza Strip. Israel will halt its offensive in Gaza at 0000 GMT on Sunday but troops will remain in the enclave for the time being and will respond to Hamas fire, Olmert said on Saturday.

United Nations: Expressing relief over Tel Aviv's decision to end military action in Gaza, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called upon Hamas to stop firing of rockets into southern Israel. In a statement issued here, Ban described the Tel Aviv's decision as the 'first step' towards establishing a 'durable and sustainable' ceasefire leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

Dubai: Israel's security cabinet voted to cease fire in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, ending a three-week offensive against Hamas. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip had achieved all its objectives. He told a news conference after the security cabinet voted to cease fire that some goals had been exceeded,

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government Saturday fixed the state's annual plan for the next fiscal at Rs.8,650 crore (Rs.80.65 billion). Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, who chaired the meeting of the Kerala State Planning Board (KSPB), said this was 12.34 percent higher than the Rs.7,700 crore(Rs.70.7 billion) of 2008-09.

Hyderabad: The newly constituted board of troubled Satyam said it was looking for funds, for which it has opened a dialogue with lenders, to ensure salaries to employees and normal business operations, even as the search for a new CEO and CFO continued. Meeting for the second time in a week, the board is still awaiting appointment of chairman by the Centre

New Delhi: Pakistani cricketer Mohammed Asif was Saturday evening detained at the airport here after he could not produce the necessary travel documents, airport sources said. Asif, a 26-year-old pacer, wanted to meet the management of the Delhi Daredevils - an Indian Premier League (IPL) team he has played for - to recover some $200,000 which the team owes him.

Islamabad: Pakistan finally found merit in the evidence about Mumbai Terror attacks given to it by India, saying that it contained "leads and good clues" and promised to file criminal cases if prima facie evidence is found. "Quite a lot of material" was provided by India and the Pakistani investigators will work to convert this into "evidence that can stand up to judicial scrutiny",

Lucknow: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt Saturday charmed Lucknow - from where he intends to contest Lok Sabha elections - as he went on a political road show for the first time, promising people to live up to him screen image of Munnabhai with 'Gandhigiri' and 'jadu ki jhappi'. Dutt took Lucknow by storm as he drove through the streets of the Uttar Pradesh capital, acknowledging the greetings of thousands who waited to cheer him

Doha: Qatar will request the Israeli trade representative to leave Doha within a week in protest against the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza.

New Delhi: You can join the civil services after completion of Class 12 and need not wait for graduation results, if recommendations of a government panel is accepted.

Thiruvananthapuram: The LDF Government has received the Centre's nod to make changes in the structure of Travancore and Cochin devaswom boards, among others which would give greater leverage to the state government to supervise temple bodies.

New Delhi: If the government has its way, teachers need not to enrol into a training institute to hone their teaching skills as the HRD Ministry is contemplating to set up 'virtual academy' to improve the quality of education in the country.

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac Saturday said the state is soon going to feel the heat of the economic slowdown as remittances from abroad are certain to fall in the coming months

Kochi/New Delhi: Former UN under secretary general Shashi Tharoor Saturday strongly refuted the charge that he had shown disrespect to the national anthem during an event in Kochi last month, saying he was pained at the reports and 'no one has ever doubted my patriotism'.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Destruction from Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip has cost the Palestinian economy at least $1.4 billion (953 million pounds), Palestinian officials said.

New Delhi: With the Lok Sabha elections just months away, the Congress party seems to be considering the possibility of an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The fact that Mayawati can swing votes in favour of the Congress party across the country makes her a powerful ally.

Gaza: Witnesses and officials say Israeli shells have struck the UN headquarters, a tower that houses various media organisations and a hospital in Gaza. The UN compound has been serving as a shelter for hundreds of people fleeing Israel's devastating offensive in Gaza. UN spokesman Chris Gunness says at least three people were wounded.

New Delhi: Satyam's senior management executive Ram Mynampati has informed the Government that the troubled IT firm would need Rs 150 crore to meet insurance liabilities of its US employees. "We have received a mail or two from Mynampati. They indicated that they would need something of the order of Rs 150 crore to take care of the health insurance liabilities of the employees in the US,"

New Delhi, The central government Thursday approved the four-laning of the Walayar-Vadakkancherry section and six-laning of the Vadakkancherry-Thrissur section of the National Highway 47 in Keral

NEW DELHI: Radha Vinod Raju, Special Director General of Police in Jammu and Kashmir, was today appointed as Director General of the newly established National Investigation Agency (NIA). A 1975-batch IPS officer, 59-year-old Raju, who heads the vigilance department in the militancy-hit state, will be the head of the NIA till January 31, 2010, an official spokesperson said.

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Orissa and Congress Legislature Party leader J B Patnaik is understood to have resigned from his post to facilitate the reorganisation of the party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Gaza City: Israel struck fresh targets Thursday and waged street battles in Gaza as the international community stepped up efforts to broker a truce to a 20-day-old war that has claimed 1024 lives. With UN chief Ban Ki-moon in the region to seek an end to the conflict, diplomats said Hamas has accepted an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, although the group merely indicated support for its "broad outlines."

New Delhi: Donald Bradman - the unquestioned supreme deity of batting - said Sachin Tendulkar reminded him of himself more than anybody before or Matthew Hayden and Sachin Tendulkar walk towards the pavilion during the lunch break on the fifth and final day of their third Test in New Delhi on November 2, 2008.

China has taken Germany's spot as the world's third-largest economy after the United States and Japan, statistics released on Wednesday showed. Beijing's national statistics bureau released corrected figures for the year 2007, revising the gross domestic product (GDP) growth upwards from 11.9 percent to 13 percent, the largest increase since 1993.

Kozhikode: The special court has pronounced the judgment in the Marad violence case here on Thursday. Additional Sessions Judge Babu Mathew P Joseph said that of the 63 accused, 62 will get life imprisonment and one would be sentenced to 5 years jail term. This is for the first time that so many convicts are being given life imprisonment for such a dastardly act. The court has also ordered the convicts to deposit a fine of Rs 25,000. Seemamuantakath Latif was the only member given a lesser punishment

Gaza: Israeli tanks and artillery pounded Gaza city in a relentless barrage of shelling on Thursday, despite some signs of progress in the international effort to bring about a ceasefire to the 20-day conflict. Live video footage from a Reuters camera in downtown Gaza showed sustained artillery fire from the edge of the city for several hours. Shells exploded in downtown areas and long machinegun bursts echoed off Gaza's cramped housing blocks.

Riyadh/Dubai: Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has called for an emergency summit meeting of the six Gulf Cooperation Council member states to be held on Thursday in Riyadh to discuss the Israeli war on Gaza, Saudi television said last night. The Saudi call came shortly after Qatar said it secured the required quorum for convening an emergency summit tomorrow. The Qatari announcement followed the confirmation of the UAE that it would attend the Qatar-proposed summit.

Islamabad: Pakistan Wednesday termed as 'most unfortunate' Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram's statement threatening severance of trade and transport links with Islamabad if it failed to nab the perpetrators of the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Responding to a question, the Foreign Office spokesman said: 'Statements emanating from responsible Indian leaders and

Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Wednesday attended the graduation of 38 air force cadets at the Khalifa Bin Zayed Air College. The ceremony started with the national anthem followed by a military parade. Sheikh Mohammed inspected a parade of the cadets, accompanied by the Commander of the Zayed Air Force College, Brigadier Saeed Ghanem Al Falasi.

Manama: Bahrain's lower house has called for the reopening of the Israel boycott office, the use of the oil as a weapon and the closure of US bases in the country to protest the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the perceived US support.

Kochi: A single judge yesterday posted the Sister Abhaya case, in which two priests and a nun had been arrested, before a division bench in an attempt to end the "controversy" over observations made by different judges on the jurisdiction to monitor the investigation in the case. Referring the matter before a division bench, Justice R Basant said, "In view of the importance of effecting monitoring of the investigation,

Kozhikkode: The Special court that tried the May 2003 Marad carnage case in which nine people were killed, yesterday posted the matter to today to fix the day for pronouncing the sentence on 63 convicts in the case.

La Paz: Bolivia broke diplomatic ties with Israel over the "disproportionate" attacks of the Israeli Army on the Gaza Strip, Bolivian President Evo Morales said Wednesday in La Paz.

Muscat: Hailstorms lashed the northern parts of Omani capital for almost 30 minutes on Tuesday night. "It was like small cubes of ice but not in definite shape," Saeed Masood, an Omani resident of Seeb, 45-km north of central Ruwi, told .

Sabarimala (Kerala): Millions of devotees Wednesday viewed the Makar Jyothi, or the celestial light, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, marking the end of the three-month Sabarimala pilgrim season. As soon as the first celestial light flickered on the horizon of the hill shrine at 6.45 p.m., the Sabari hills and the foothills at Pampa reverberated with religious chants. The lights flickered two more times.

Lucknow: SHE has tried grandeur several times. It's "simplicity" that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati wants for her birthday on Thursday and, as state officials are discovering, that is hard work. With the PWD engineer's murder — allegedly for refusing to give money for her birthday — fresh on everyone’s mind, the CM has decided to wipe away all of that by asking officials to come up

Washington: The US Vice-President, Dick Cheney, has said that a part of Pakistan has become a safe haven for terrorists organisations like Al Qaeda and the Taliban and this would be one of the main challenges for the incoming Obama Administration.

Dubai: There were nods and smiles among leaders, cabinet ministers and government officials as they listened to poetry in honour of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, recited by two Emirati intellectuals. Shaikh Mohammad yesterday joined an audience of mostly government officials, businessmen and intellectuals to listen to the poetry

Amethi: Pakistan should use available "legal channels" to nab the perpetrators of the Mumbai terrorist attacks, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said here Wednesday. "There are legal channels available in Pakistan that should be used against the perpetrators," Miliband said.

Cairo: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Cairo on Wednesday at the start of a regional tour aimed at ending Israel's devastating war on Hamas in Gaza. Ban will meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak who, along with his senior intelligence officials, has been at the forefront of efforts to mediate a truce between the two sides.

Mumbai: Satyam's new board today named KPMG and Deloitte as its auditors, even as its previous bookkeeper Price Waterhouse said its audit of the IT company's account could be construed as 'unreliable' in the wake of Ramalinga Raju's admittance to fraud.

Thiruvanthapuram: The Kerala cabinet has appointed K J Mathew as the new chief secretary on Wednesday. This was disclosed by the chief minister V S Achuthanandhan after the cabinet meet. K J Mathew, Additional Chief Secretary in charge of Home department, here has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Kerala. He succeeds P J Thomas, who is going on deputation to the Centre as Secretary, Parliamentary Affairs. Briefing reporters Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said Neela Gangadharan would take over as the new Additional Chief Secretary (Home).

Kochi: The Kerala High Court today initiated a contempt of court case against Malayalam leading daily Kerala Kaumudi.

Gaza: Clashes between Palestinian fighters and Israeli troops continued on Tuesday, with the death toll rising to more than 900 as the war in Gaza entered its 18th day. Meanwhile, troops at the Arava border crossing with Jordan came under fire on Tuesday, but no one was hurt, an Israeli military spokeswoman said. The spokeswoman said it unclear who the gunmen were. The Jordanian Armed Forces denied the incident

Mumbai: Justifying Samajwadi Party's move to declare Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt's candidature for Lok Sabha polls, party's Mumbai unit president Abu Azmi said Dutt is not a criminal. "Dutt is not a criminal. I know him since his childhood. He was not even involved in 1992-93 Mumbai bomb blasts," Azmi told reporters here today.

London : India may break off business, transport and tourist links with Pakistan if it fails to help to investigate the Mumbai attacks, Home Minister P Chidambaram has warned, pressing Islamabad to 'cooperate soon'. 'There are many, many links between India and Pakistan, and if Pakistan does not cooperate and does not help to bring the perpetrators to heel,

Washington: Holding Pakistan as one of the main challenges being faced by the incoming Obama Administration, US Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton has said the South Asian nation is different because of the nuclear weapons it possess. 'Pakistan has a particular complexity because of its nuclear weapons capacity,' Clinton said during

Dubai: Shaikha Manal Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Women's Establishment (DWE) and wife of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs, urged Arab women to fulfill their duties and play a positive role in the advancement of the country and the Arab world. "A society can't achieve its goals if half of the population is inactive, she said

Manama: A group of Bahraini intellectuals is demanding that the Nobel Prize awarded to former Israeli president Shimon Peres be withdrawn on the grounds that he is a "warmonger".

Sabarimala: Thousands of devotees thronged the hillock sannidanam on Wednesday to take part in the magara jyothi celebrations which falls on January 14 every year. Devotees with their irimudi were eager to see the magara jyothi which appears at Ponnambalamedu. STrict security has been put in place.

Kuwait: Kuwaiti lawmakers yesterday urged the government to bar Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from an Arab economic summit taking place in the Gulf state next week in protest at his stance over Israel's offensive in Gaza.

San Francisco: Struggling web pioneer Yahoo has named Carol Bartz, the former head of software company Autodesk, as its new chief executive. The appointment follows a two-month search for a replacement for company founder Jerry Yang, who was widely blamed for botching merger talks with Microsoft that would have proved highly lucrative to many shareholders.

Abu Dhabi: The UAE will continue delivering emergency aid to the distressed Palestinian people in Gaza in coordination with regional and international aid agencies, said Shaikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Amethi: Congress General Secretary and MP Rahul Gandhi and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband will arrive in Amethi on Wednesday afternoon. Earlier, Miliband had expressed his desire to see the rural developmental activities in India during a meeting with Rahul Gandhi some time ago in the United Kingdom.

Washington: No US president in recent memory has entered office facing such huge crises or such enormous expectations as Barack Obama. The Democratic president-elect is to be inaugurated Jan 20 as the country's 44th president, elected with a strong 53 percent majority by voters disillusioned with eight years of Republican George W. Bush.

Gaza: Israeli forces battled Hamas in the Gaza Strip's main city early Wednesday and bombed the enclave's southern border with Egypt as the death toll from the war neared 1,000. With the war now in its 19th day, witnesses said there were far fewer air strikes on Gaza City and other parts of the north than on the previous night, but that heavy fighting still continued.

New Delhi: The government today ordered investigation into the Satyam scandal by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), an entity that probes cases of economic offences of grave nature. 'The SFIO will submit its report in three months,' Corporate Affairs Minister Prem Chand Gupta told reporters here. The government ordered the probe by the SFIO after receiving a report from the Registrar of Companies (RoC), Hyderabad, which inspected the books of accounts of Satyam Computer Services

Washington: The World Bank has hired another Indian IT major Tata Consultancy Services to do much of the work previously being done by Satyam, which has now been debarred by the bank from doing business with it. "We have hired Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to do much of the IT work that Satyam used to do," a World Bank spokesperson said.

Tehran: Iran's judiciary said on Tuesday that Iran has arrested four Iranians accused of involvement in a US-back plot aimed at topping the Islamic system of government.

Washington: President George W. Bush has admitted mistakes but cited his image in India among accomplishments to assert that America's moral standing has not been damaged during his eight year watch. 'I strongly disagree with the assessment that our moral standing has been damaged,' he said at his final the final news conference of his presidency Monday. 'My view is that most people around the world, they respect America. And some of them don't like me

Mumbai: One of the witnesses in the Mumbai Terror attacks case, who saw the terrorists land on the city's shores, has gone missing, police said on Tuesday. Anita Uddaiya, who saw the ten terrorists arrive at the Fisherman's Colony in Cuffe Parade on November 26, has been missing since January 11. Police said they have launched a manhunt for the missing witness, who had been taken to the J J Hospital earlier to identify the bodies of the nine killed terrorists.

Shornur: Nine members of the Janakeeya Vikasana Samithi were sworn in to the Shornur municipality in Palakkasd on Tuesday. Shoranur Corporation Chairperson C K Jayalakshmi administered the oath of office to the nine new members.

Thiruvananthapuram : A man claiming to be Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram's personal secretary, was charged by the police for using foul language against a Kerala minister

New Delhi: Seeking to allay any fears among foreign investors due to the Satyam fraud, India said appropriate steps are being taken to address the issue and there was "no need to press the panic button". Britain said India's economy is quite strong and "one bad apple" does not mean the "whole barrel is bad".

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today held discussions with Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath and is believed to have reviewed the Satyam issue, a day after the minister came out in support of extending financial help to the beleaguered IT firm.

New York: A US-based Hindu advocacy group has taken strong objection to historian Michael Wood's documentary ‘The Story of India,’ being telecast on public television, describing its presentation of the Aryan Migration Theory (AMT) as ‘agenda driven.’ Rejecting the theory, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said India has always been the cradle of Hindu civilization and there is no debate about it.

Dubai: Peak hour traffic is no longer a nightmare, commuters say, as many people are taking public transport or are carpooling due to the economic downturn. People said other factors such as completion of Dubai Metro work on some interchanges are also easing congestion. Many families have gone back to one car, selling off the other one and making use of the money to clear credit card bills or personal loans.

Kochi: The Law Reforms panel's recommendations to legalise euthanasia for terminally ill people or patients suffering in extreme pain has been opposed tooth and nail by the doctors and volunteers in the palliative care movement in Kerala.

Bangalore : Infosys Technologies, India's No.2 software services exporter, beat expectations with a one-third rise in quarterly profit, helped by a weaker rupee, even as a global downturn squeezed outsourcing. Infosys, which is also listed on Nasdaq, said October-December net profit rose to 16.41 billion rupees ($336.3 million) from 12.31 billion rupees a year earlier.

Gaza: Israeli warplanes pummelled Palestinian homes and ground troops edged closer to the Gaza Strip's urban heartland on Monday as two Norwegian medics returning from the territory charged Israel with testing a new "extremely nasty" type of weapon during its offensive. Mads Gilbert, one of the medics, told reporters they had seen clear signs that "a new generation of very powerful small explosives"

Zurich (Switzerland): Manchester United's Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo, who last month won the European Footballer of the Year, was Monday named FIFA World Footballer of the Year.

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates and the United Nations have called on the international community to come forward to extend assistance to the people of Gaza who are passing through difficult times.

DUBAI - The official opening of the Dubai Shopping Festival 2009 has been called off as an expression of solidarity with the people of Gaza. Other activities would go ahead from January 15 to February15.

Mangalore: In response to a call for bandh given by Hindu organizations in protest against the murder of a local resident named Mohan Ranya (35) at around 9.30 pm on Sunday January 11, all the shops and establishments in Kinnigoly and the nearby Moorukaveri town downed their shutters on Monday January 12. Even the buses did not ply in these places.

BRISBANE: Prolific Australian opening batsman Matthew Hayden called stumps on Tuesday on one of international cricket's most dominating careers

Mangalore: A person said to be mentally ill drove a parked bus and knocked down a motorcycle-borne couple at Maradka near Kinnigoli on Monday.

ABU DHABI - The Ministry of Interior (MoI) in a move to tighten its control of the illegals and infiltrators situation in the country will use new technology during their inspection work.

Dubai: A wife has claimed that her husband endangered the lives of her and her children when he set parts of their house ablaze while under the influence of liquor.

ABUDHABI - The Ministry of Interior is considering issuing licences to new drivers for an initial period of two years as one way to reduce road accidents.

Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in his capacity as Ruler of Dubai issued law No. 32 for 2008, to establish a Legal Issues Department for the Dubai Government, to be affiliated to the Dubai Ruler’s Court.

RIYADH - Saudi Arabia accused Israel on Monday of "racist extermination" in its attack on Gaza and expressed hope that incoming U.S. president Barack Obama would work to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Mogadishu: Shells hit a crowded Mogadishu market and nearby residential area on Monday, killing at least 11 people in fighting between Islamist insurgents and Ethiopian-backed government forces

Music director A R Rahman, who created history by becoming the first Indian to win the Golden Globe award for his score in Slumdog Millionaire has dedicated his achievement to the country. Vijay Singh, CEO of Star Fox Studios, which is all set to release the film in India on January 23 told PTI that he spoke to Rahman soon after winning the Best Original Music score award for Jai Ho, penned by lyricist Gulzar.

Bagalkot: The policemen have arrested nine persons, accused of triggering blasts at a Hubli court, concealing of powerful bombs below the Venkatapur village bridge and committing of several murders apart from hatching conspiracies to murder several leaders. The gang's activities, particularly the setting off the bombs, had shaken the entire state.

New Delhi: Even before the dust settled on the controversy involving Satyam's debarment, the World Bank on Monday revealed that action has been taken against a total of five entities in India, including Wipro Technologies, and an individual. The action was initiated against these entities and individual as they were found to have

Ranchi: Bowing to mounting pressure by the allies following his defeat in the Tamar assembly bypoll, Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren on Monday resigned from his post, shortly after his deputy Stephen Marandi put in his papers. Ending the five-day long speculation on his continuance in the top post, Soren drove to the Raj Bhavan in Ranchi to submit his resignation to Governor Syed Sibte Razi.

London: The first flying automobile, equally at home in the sky and on the road, is scheduled to take to the air next month. If the automobile, which can transform itself from a two-seater road car to a plane in 15 seconds, survives its first test flight next month, it is expected to land in showrooms in about 18 months, The Sunday Times claimed.

Kochi: The same CBI team will go on with the investigation of Abhaya case, informs CBI at the High Court of Kerala. The CBI Joint Director Ashoke Kumar and Kandaswami DGP will be leading the team. The confusion over the court's statement that Senior Officials shall overview the proceedings of the investigation has been solved after Justice Basanth's verdict, reports the CBI.

New Delhi: Retail fuel prices are likely to be cut in the next 10 days, but the quantum of reduction would be decided after consultations with the finance ministry, Minister of State for Petroleum Dinsha Patel said on Monday.

New Delhi: Describing the Mumbai Terror attacks as a "direct strike" at India's economic development, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday warned the hydrocarbon sector to protect assets from the risks from "state or the so-called non-state actors". "The recent terrorist attack in Mumbai was a direct strike at India's economic development.

Dubai: Troops pushed deeper into Gaza in a day of fierce fighting on Sunday as Israel brushed off continuing global protests but indicated an end was in sight to its war on the Palestinian enclave since most of its strategic objectives were close to being fulfilled. Civilians again fell victim to Israel's brutal offensive that has left more than 900 people in the Gaza Strip dead in the 16-day-old war

Dubai: The UAE government is to work with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) through a tailored programme to make "decent work," accessible to everybody in the country. The concept is in accordance with international labour standards.

New Delhi: The Centre has called a meeting of state transport ministers on Monday to deal with the situation arising out of the truckers' strike that entered the eighth day, hitting supplies of essential commodities in some regions. "The strike is on, the solution lies completely in the hands of the government," All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) Vice-President Amolak Singh Bhatia said on Monday.

Karachi: In a rebuff to India, Pakistan on Sunday ruled out handing over to any country any of its nationals found involved in the Mumbai terror attacks saying 'necessary action' will be taken under its own laws. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Pakistan is conducting its own probe into the evidence received from India on the Mumbai attacks and indicated that any Pakistani national found to be involved in the Mumbai attacks will not be handed over to any other country.

Los Angeles: Music maestro A R Rahman created history on Sunday night as he became the first Indian to win the prestigious Golden Globe awards for best original music score for Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire. The film, with strong Indian connections, emerged as a hot favourite at the Globe, which sets the countdown for next month's Academy awards.

Kannur: A group of unidentified men attacked the house of a BJP activist in Kannur district of Kerala, the scene of frequent CPM-RSS clashes, barely hours after the home of a CPM leader was stoned on Monday.

Washington: US president-elect Barack Obama Sunday promised to begin immediate engagement in finding a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict when he becomes the US president later in January. Speaking on US broadcaster ABC, Obama said: 'What I am doing right now is putting together the team so that on Jan 20, starting on day one, we have the best possible people who are going to be immediately engaged in the Middle East peace process as a whole.

Kochi: The invincible Kerala team with an overall point tally of 354.66 points stamped their authority to retain the championship for the 12th consecutive time at the National Schools Athletics Championship, which concluded Sunday, at the Maharaja's College Stadium here. The host team dominated in both track and field events at the 54th edition of the Championship,

Thiruvananthapuram: Eminent singer K J Yesudas today began a cross-country musical campaign against terrorism and communalism with the motto 'Music for peace' in the presence of Kavita Karkare, widow of the slain Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare here on Sunday evening. Karkare handed over the torch to Yesudas to mark the launch of the 'Sangeeta Yatra' at the Kairali-Swaralaya-Yesudas award function at Nisagandhi auditorium.

Kottayam: The economic packages announced by the Centre in the wake of the slowdown of the economy are not sufficient to overcome the challenges posed by the deepening global economic crisis MM Lawrence, general secretary, CITU has said.

Thiruvananthapuram: In what could be the first of its kind in the country, a village panchayat in Kerala has brought out a civic calendar carrying a host of basic local information required by the people round the year.

Alappuzha: Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Vayalar Ravi said here on Sunday that CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat should clarify to the public and the cadres on why the party had earlier 'declared' Mayawati as a prime ministerial candidate and later 'changed' its opinion.

Thiruvananthapuram: The CPI-M in Kerala today came out strongly against the move to transfer the power generated by NTPC's Kayamkulam thermal plant to the Central pool, stating it was a gross discrimination against the state.

Mangalore: In an incident that occured in late night on Sunday January 11, a man was savagely murdered by unknown miscreants at Kinnigoly near here.

ABU DHABI - India’s top-ranked golfer, Jeev Milkha Singh, will tee-off his 2009 season at this month’s fourth annual, Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.

ABU DHABI - The government of Abu Dhabi will ban smoking in public places this month, according to a senior municipality official. Abu Dhabi Municipality Director of Municipal Services Omar Al Hashemi, told Khaleej Times the ban had become necessary because of the growth in the number of restaurants and shopping centres where smoking poses a health hazard to others.

Kuwait: An explosion caused by a gas leak shook a Shi'ite Muslim prayer hall in southern Kuwait on Sunday, injuring several people and leaving some trapped under rubble, the interior minister said.

New Delhi: The Government nominated noted banker Deepak Parekh, IT expert Kiran Karnik and former SEBI member C Achuthan to Satyam Computer's Board, which will meet on Monday at Hyderabad to chart out the future course of action. "We will meet tomorrow at Hyderabad," HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh told PTI.

Gaza: Israeli forces edged into the Gaza Strip's most populous area on Sunday, killing at least 14 Palestinian guerrillas and 12 civilians in an offensive stepped up in defiance of international calls for a ceasefire. Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said his ruling Islamist group would not consider a ceasefire until Israel ended its 16-day-old air, sea and ground assault and lifted a Gaza blockade.

New Delhi: Moving quickly to stabilise the fraud-devastated Satyam Computer, the government today nominated noted banker Deepak Parekh, IT expert Kiran Karnik and former SEBI member C Achutan to the IT company's Board.

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 14: Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Ramesh Chennithala has said the CPI (M)'s declaration that it will be able to bring a third front to power at the Centre is just wishful thinking. The UDF will start a Kerala Campaign against the anti-people policies of the LDF government, he said. Prior to that, on 8th 'the Kerala Raksha March' will conduct.

Washington: Barack Obama, a self-professed follower of Abraham Lincoln, would not only take the oath of US Presidency swearing in on the Bible used by the former President, but will also have on his lunch menu that afternoon the food eaten by Lincoln after his inauguration. Soon after being sworn in as the 44th President of the United States on January 20, Obama would have his first lunch hosted by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies at the historic Statuary Hall at the US Capitol.

Islamabad: Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari has appealed to the world powers to come forward and play their role towards easing tensions between Pakistan and India, GEO TV reported. Speaking at a dinner reception hosted in honour of the foreign ambassadors Saturday, President Zardari expressed concern that prevailing India-Pakistan tensions could sabotage

MUMBAI: Seven Indians and the hijacked vessel, MV Delight, have been released by the pirates and they are safe, Directorate General of Shipping said here on Saturday. Last night the pirates released the vessel and 25 crew members onboard, DG Shipping said in a statement. MV Delight, Hong Kong registered ship, was hijacked from the Gulf of Aden on November 18.

Berlin, Jan 11 (DPA) Tens of thousands took part Saturday in worldwide protests against Israel's 15-day bombardment and infantry deployment into the Gaza Strip. In Germany, more than 35,000 people took to the streets in demonstrations organised mainly by ethnic Turks, Palestinians and other predominantly Islamic minorities. The biggest demonstration in Germany was in the western industrial city of Duisburg, where 10,000 demonstrators attended a rally organised by the Milli Gorus Islamic community, a Turkish Islamist group.

Pathanamthitta: Erumeli Petta Thullal, a Hindu religious ritual practiced by devotees as part of their pilgrimage to Sabarimala, begins at Erumeli. Thullal means frenzied dancing. Petta thulllal is a frenzied dance accompanied by loud music created by traditional instruments of the region. The place Erumeli is important to both Muslims and Hindus.

New Delhi: The failure of the Pakistani police and security agencies to gather sufficient evidence has led to the release of a large number of dreaded terrorists of outfits such as Al-Qaeda and Taliban who are known to have participated in major attacks in Pakistan,

Gaza City : Israeli forces pounded Gaza on Saturday and planes dropped leaflets warning of an escalation in attacks, as Palestinians fired at least 10 more rockets at Israel. Egypt hosted talks aimed at ending the violence. Flames and smoke rose over Gaza City amid the heavy fighting. The Israeli threat to launch a 'new phase' in its two-week-old offensive that has already killed at least 825 Palestinians

Calicut: A youth for carrying a fake passport got arrested at Calicut International Airport.

Hyderabad/New Delhi: One more top official of Satyam was on Saturday arrested and disgraced founder Ramalinga Raju and his brother Rama Raju were sent to judicial custody as the Government and regulator SEBI huddled in Delhi to put a new management together to run the IT company. Raju, who three days ago disclosed a financial fraud in the company running into thousands of crores over several years, and his brother were produced before the 6th Chief Metropolitan Magistrat

Karachi: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Saturday accused the world of ‘double standards’ in dealing with the Mumbai attacks and terrorist incidents in Pakistan, saying there was no need for the international community to make ‘so much noise’ about the strike in India's financial hub. Gilani sought to compare the terrorist attacks in Mumbai to the Israeli strikes in Gaza

New Delhi: India on Saturday virtually ruled out any Israel type action against Pakistan in the wake of Mumbai Terror attacks, saying the situation is not comparable. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, however, maintained that ‘future course’ will decide how India will deal with Pakistan if the latter does not comply with its demands about ending terrorism.

Mumbai: Another reduction in fuel prices is round the corner. In the next few weeks, petrol will be cheaper by Rs.5 a litre, diesel by Rs.3 a litre, and cooking gas (LPG) by Rs.20-25 a cylinder, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said Saturday. The cuts would bring fuel prices on par with international rates, he added. This is the second time in as many months that fuel prices have been cut after global crude oil prices began nosediving after reaching a high of $147.27 July 11. The price is currently around around $40 a barrel.

Abu Dhabi: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, won the second round of the 120-km Giants Endurance Challenge (Body Weight) Ride series in Bahrain on Saturday to emerge as the overall leader with the final round left.

Ludhiana: The Congress on Saturday did not rule out the possibility of Rahul Gandhi becoming the next Prime Minister if it is voted back to power but said the party would fight the forthcoming elections under the ‘leadership’ of Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "If Omar Abdullah can become the Chief Minister of an all important state like Jammu and Kashmir at the age of 38, if Rajiv Gandhi could become the Prime Minister at the age of 40,

Kochi: Silencing critics about the internal squabbles in the Kerala unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Party General Secretary Prakash Karat on Saturday said the State unit was working unitedly.

Kochi: Establishing their monopoly in relay events, hosts Kerala conslidated their position with a comfortable 245 points with 32 gold medals in the 54th National Schools Athletics Championship at the Maharajas Stadium here Saturday. Sweeping all the six medals in the relay events on the fourth-day, the Kerala runners proved they were a hard nut to crack.

Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Saturday issued Decree number (1) 2009, announcing Government of Dubai's budget for 2009. The budget this year has allocated Dh37.7 billion for public spending, which is 42 per cent higher than the previous year. The budget estimates a 26 per cent increase in government revenue from Dh26.5 billion last year to Dh33.5 billion in 2009.

Malappuram: Twenty two passengers were injured, two of them seriously, when a private bus in which they were travelling overturned at Edarikkode in the Malappuram district of Kerala Saturday.

GAZA - Israel pounded the Gaza Strip for a 15th straight day on Saturday and militants from Hamas fired rockets back at Israel, both sides defying international efforts to put a stop to the conflict.

BANGALORE: Four persons have been arrested on charges of robbing coupons valued at Rs 30 lakh that could be used to pay for various consumer items or services, from Viveknagar area of the city.

DUBAI- Fire-fighters were battling to contain a massive blaze that erupted in a cluster of warehouses located in Al Quoz Industrial area behind the Mall of the Emirates.

Though the District administration and security officers have left no stone unturned to try and stop any communal violence within the city, it has been reported that a person named Vinod has been stabbed by some miscreants near the former KREC in Surathkal. The injured has been admitted to Padmavati hospital in Surathkal

New York : The incoming Barack Obama administration is likely to appoint veteran troubleshooter Richard C Holbrooke as a special envoy to Pakistan and India amid tensions in the sub-continent following the Mumbai terrorist strikes.

NEW DELHI: Even as India prepares to test its own fledgling ballistic missile defence (BMD) system for the third time "within a month or so'', New Delhi and Washington are moving towards signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the BMD arena.

Occupied Jerusalem: Rockets have been fired into northern Israel from Lebanon on Thursday, prompting Israel to retaliate with mortar fire, Lebanese media reported. Israel police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said three rockets fell around the town of Nahariya, 8 kilometres south of the Lebanese border early on Thursday. Rescue services reported at least one person was lightly wounded.

Chennai: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh voiced India's strong condemnation of the Israeli strikes in Gaza and expressed the hope that international community will get together to restore peace and normalcy in the region. In a first public statement on the ongoing strikes, he said India strongly condemned these incidents and regrets the loss of many innocent lives

Gaza: Israeli warplanes bombed the Gaza Strip on Thursday and tanks pounded Palestinian guerrillas on the ground as US backing for a proposed truce raised expectations of an end to the offensive. "We believe a cease-fire is necessary," said US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, adding she was pressing Israel to move forward with an Egyptian proposal backed by Europeans.

Islamabad has finally admitted that Ajmal Qasab, the lone terrorist captured after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, is indeed a Pakistani national. Pakistan Information Minister Sherry Rahman confirmed this to NDTV via a text message. "We are confirming Ajmal Qasab is from Pakistan, but investigations are going on," said Sherry Rahman, Pakistan Information Minister. "Qasab has no connection with the official agencies," she added.

Mumbai/Hyderabad: In the country's biggest corporate fraud involving about Rs 8,000 crore, iconic IT company Satyam was hurtling towards disaster following the shocking disclosure of accounts fudging by its founder Ramalinga Raju, who then quit as chairman - leaving an uncertain future for the company and its 53,000 employees. By the end of the day, the fourth largest IT company lost a staggering Rs 10,000 crore in market capitalisation

New Delhi: The nation-wide transporters strike entered the fourth day Thursday with both truckers and government refusing to stand down from their stated positions. "It is unfortunate that so far there is no response from the government. We simply cannot run our business in losses, so we are continuing the strike and we will continue till our demands are met,"

Kannur : Heavy security arrangements have been made in connection with the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here Thursday to declare open the Indian Navy's Ezhimala Naval Academy. Arriving at Karipur airport in Kozhikode from Chennai the Prime Minister will reach Ezhimala at 1320 hours and reach the venue 'Nalanda', at 1445 hours.The Prime Minister will leave at 1550 hours, naval sources here said.

London: Andrew Strauss will captain England cricket team on the tour to West Indies next month after Kevin Pietersen resigned Wednesday morning. Strauss, 31, led England in five Tests in 2006, with an impressive series win against Pakistan. However, it is unclear whether the Middlesex opening batsman will lead the one-day and Twenty20 teams.

Islamabad: Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has sacked the country's National security adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani, Geo TV reported Wednesday. Gilani said Durrani had given a statement to an Indian news channel regarding Ajmal Kasab, the lone Pakistani terrorist arrested for the Mumbai attacks, without taking him into confidence.

Washington: US cities are vulnerable to an attack like the gun-and-grenade assault that terrorized Mumbai for three days and killed 179 people, the White House homeland security adviser said on Wednesday. Ken Wainstein told a Washington think tank that the Mumbai attacks in November showed the effectiveness of a low-technology coordinated assault on an open city.

Kochi : There has been a mixed response in Kerala to the suggestions made by the law reforms commission, which will submit its report later this month. Among other reforms, the commission has asked for a change in the marriage customs practiced by the Muslim community and appointment of non-Brahmins as temple priests.

LONDON: Kevin Pietersen has resigned as England captain after his relationship with team coach Peter Moores broke down, as per reports on Wednesday. Pietersen, who was appointed last year, had stepped down after losing his power struggle with Moores, whom Pietersen believed lacked the tactical and technical know-how of a top international coach. Pietersen's public utterances undermining Moores have not gone down too well with the ECB. He may find himself replaced by Andrew Strauss as England skipper.

New Delhi: The government Wednesday said it may cut petrol and diesel prices further in "the next 2 to 3 weeks" and also slash cooking gas prices. "We will try to reduce the prices of petrol and diesel in the next 2-3 weeks," Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said at the AICC headquarters here. Asked about the extent of reduction, he said it has still not been decided.

Kochi: The Law Reforms Commission, Kerala, headed by former supreme court Judge V R Krishna Iyer, has completed its task and will submit the draft bills to the state Government at a function here on January 24.

Caracas: Venezuela ordered the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to protest Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip. Socialist President Hugo Chavez has condemned the Israeli campaign in Gaza, where nearly 600 Palestinians have been killed in ground and air strikes.

Mumbai: Under attack over 1.6 billion dollar acquisition fiasco of firms promoted by his family Satyam Computer Chairman B Ramalinga Raju today resigned and said he would subject himself to the 'laws of land'. Minutes later, the company also announced resignation of its Managing Director B Rama Raju. The resignations, ahead of January 10 board meeting pushed the company into crisis and paved the way for immediate restructuring of the board and the management.

Washington: The US has reiterated that Nov 26 Mumbai terrorist attacks originated from Pakistan, but wants New Delhi and Islamabad to work together to bring those responsible to justice and prevent future attacks. 'Well, we've talked about the origins of the attack coming from Pakistani soil. Secretary (of State Condoleeza) Rice, during her visit to the region, said that herself,' State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said. But 'I would look at one part of this exchange as encouraging;

Washington: US President-elect Barack Obama, breaking his silence about the Gaza war, expressed deep concern on Tuesday about civilian deaths in Gaza and in Israel and vowed to push for Middle East peace when he takes power. Speaking after Israeli tank shells killed at least 40 Palestinians at a UN school where civilians had taken shelter, Obama said "the loss of civilian life in Gaza and in Israel is a source of deep concern for me."

Dubai: Israeli tank shells and missiles killed more than 45 Palestinians on day at a UN school where civilians had taken shelter, medical officials said, in carnage that could prove to be a turning point in Israel's "Operation Cast Lead" in Gaza. A senior UN official in Gaza said 350 people had been sheltering at the school and the United Nations regularly gave the Israeli army exact geographical coordinates

New York: Israeli attacks on three schools run by the United Nations in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, including one that killed more than 46 civilians Tuesday, were "totally unacceptable and must not be repeated," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said. The three schools were operated by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Gaza. The UN said about 15,000 Palestinians, who fled the fighting between Israel and Hamas, had found refuge in these schools as well as in more than 20 other schools in the territory.

New Delhi: ISI chief Lieutenant-General Ahmed Shujaa Pasha reportedly said that he was willing to travel to New Delhi to help in the Mumbai attacks investigation. According to Pakistani newspaper 'The Nation', ISI chief Ahmed Shujaa Pasha maintained that there will not be a war. 'We are distancing ourselves from conflict with India, both now and in general'.

Washington: Sanjay Gupta, an Indian-American who works as CNN's chief medical correspondent, has been approached by President-elect Barack Obama to become the surgeon general of the US, reports said. Gupta, who is a practicing neurosurgeon and a faculty at the Department of Neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, had travelled to Chicago in November to meet Obama, CNN said quoting sources.

Shillong ; India's space agency along with astronomers from across the country will launch a 'unique' satellite later this year to study distant galaxies and black holes. The Astrosat, scheduled for launch towards the end of the year, will be the country's first satellite entirely dedicated to astronomy.

Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt): Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak invited Israel "without delay" to discuss security on the Egypt-Gaza border, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in Sharm el-Sheikh. "President Mubarak invites the Israeli side without delay to come and discuss the matter of border security, without delay, and perhaps in the hours to come," Sarkozy said on Tuesday after talks with Mubarak.

Dhaka: Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of the nation's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was sworn in prime minister of Bangladesh for a second time Tuesday following her landslide victory in last month's general election. She was premier previously 1996-2001. Hasina, 61, took the oath of office from President Iajuddin Ahmed at the ceremony held at Darbar Hall in Bangabhavan, the presidential palace.

New Delhi: Continuation of truckers' strike, which entered the second day today, can push inflation by 50 basis points on account of shortage of perishable goods and panic buying by traders, said city-based think tank National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER).

Dubai: A Non-resident Indian (NRI) businessman from the UAE has been included in the Indian Prime Minister's Global Advisory Council of People of Indian Origin (PIO). M.A. Yusuffali, Managing Director of Emke Group and a director board member of Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will be a member of the council to be headed by the Prime Minister of India.

Kochi: Kerala High Court Tuesday reserved its order on the clarification sought by CBI as to who should monitor the investigation in Sister Abhaya case following a single judge's comment that an experienced, efficient and higher official of the agency should supervise the probe.

New Delhi: Former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy disagrees with veteran party leader K. Karunakaran's suggestion to include the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). Karunakaran said on Jan 1 that the Congress had failed to put up a credible fight against the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led ruling alliance in the state and called for an alliance with the NCP before the Lok Sabha elections.

Thiruvananathapuram: Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achutanandan Tuesday said the Left Democratic Front Government was for 50:50 Job reservation in the state. Talking to newspersons after a cabinet meeting here, he said the issue was before the Supreme Court and hoped that the Apex court would come out with a solution.

New Delhi: Just days after supporting the anti-terror measures in Parliament, chief ministers of various NDA constituents expressed their reservations over the new National Investigation Agency saying it would "disturb" the federal set-up of the country and sought tougher laws. The NDA parties, however, said they will support the Centre in its fight against terror.

Occuppied Jerusalem: Israel on Tuesday set a key condition for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, saying it would not agree to a truce unless it included provisions to prevent Hamas from rearming. "Preventing a Hamas arms buildup is the necessary foundation of any new calm arrangement. That is the make-or-break issue," said Mark Regev, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government is firm in its stand that 50 per cent of appointments in government services should be under the reserved quota and the balance on merit, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said today. 'There is no change in the reservation policy of the government, which is waiting the final verdict of the Supreme court in the appeal filed by Kerala Public Service Commission against a High Court order in this regard

New Delhi: Ten million people in the export sector will be out of job by March this year, as Indian goods find fewer buyers in the international market which is battling the worst crisis since 1929. "There will be 10 million job losses by March," Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President A Sakthivel told reporters in New Delhi.

Mumbai: Cooking gas and oil transporters joined the truckers' nationwide strike, which entered the second day Tuesday, although the government agreed to some of their demands - exempting eight services from service tax.

New Delhi: After the Mumbai terror strikes, anti-India elements in Pakistan are now planning an attack on Indian computer networks, intelligence agencies have warned. Already Pakistani hackers are trying out a dry run against Indian networks through popular websites registered there after the Mumbai terror strikes, Home Ministry sources said Tuesday. "Every time the relations between the two countries dampen, Pakistanis start attacking Indian computer networks and this has increased after the Mumbai terror attacks," a Home Ministry source said.

Hyderabad: The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) appears all set to join the 'grand alliance', headed by Andhra Pradesh's main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and including the Left parties, for the ensuing elections to the assembly and the Lok Sabha.

New Delhi: A day after India handed over evidence to Pakistan on the Mumbai terror strikes, Islamabad today said it was 'examining' the material. 'We have been given some material. We are examining it. There is no question of rejection or otherwise,' Pakistani High Commissioner Shahid Malik told reporters on the sidelines of the 16th session of the Afro-Asian Rural Development Organisation here.

Speaking tough against the backdrop of its continued denials, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday accused Pakistan of utilising terrorism as state policy and said given the "sophistication and military precision" of the Mumbai terror attacks, it must have had the support of some official agencies in that country. He also said those in-charge of terrorism infrastructure in Pakistan have resorted to other stratagems to infiltrate terrorists into India via Nepal and Bangladesh though it has not totally ceased via the Line of Control (LoC).

US President George W. Bush on Tuesday ruled out any ceasefire in Gaza, saying that such an agreement did not ensure that Hamas would not resume its attack against Israel in future. "All of us, of course, would like to see, you know, violence stop, but not at the expense of an agreement that does not prevent the crisis from happening again," Bush told reporters.

Islamabad: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Monday his government remained committed to punishing Pakistani nationals accused of taking part in the Mumbai attacks if "credible" evidence is given against them. Gilani made the comments during talks with Richard Boucher, the US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday said it would not allow "persecution" of minorities and asked the Orissa Government to resign if it was unable to protect Christians who were targeted in recent riots that followed the assassination of a VHP leader. "We are secular country. We cannot allow persecution of minorities," a Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan said.

Mumbai: Vijay Mallya-owned Kingfisher Airlines on Monday launched its first daily non-stop Mumbai-London flight with a new Airbus 330-200 aircraft, configured in two classes. "The flight had almost full occupancy with 28 passengers in Kingfisher First and 169 in Kingfisher Class," the company spokesperson said.

Mumbai: Breaking her silence over the Mumbai attacks, Kavita Karkare, wife of Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare who was killed fighting the terrorists, on Monday said she was proud of her husband's sacrifice. "I feel proud of my husband's sacrifice but we have paid hard price for it. It is very painful because I am 50 plus and at this age I really needed my husband," she said.

New Delhi: Piling up pressure on Pakistan, the US on Monday said an FBI team will take the evidence it has gathered in the Mumbai attacks to Islamabad and pursue the probe into the Terror strike ‘to its conclusion’. "The FBI will pursue the evidence gathered there (in Mumbai) and they will eventually take the evidence to Pakistan because under our law, if Americans are killed, the US itself has a duty to pursue all avenues to the bottom of it," US Ambassador in Delhi David C Mulford told reporters in New Delhi.

New Delhi: In its largest defence purchase ever from the US, India has signed a deal to buy eight maritime aircraft from aerospace major Boeing to strengthen the Navy's intelligence gathering capabilities. The USD 2.1 billion contract for eight Boeing P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft was signed between a Defence Ministry official and Boeing's country head Vivek Lall here on January 1, Navy and industry sources said in New Delhi on Monday.

Jammu: Omar Abdullah was today sworn in as the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister to head the National Conference-Congress coalition government in the state. Governor N N Vohra administered oath of office and secrecy to Omar at General Zorawar Singh auditorium in the presence of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who flew in here from New Delhi to take part in the ceremony.

New Delhi: Over six million trucks went off roads across India in the early hours of Monday, a day after talks with the government over their demand to reduce prices of diesel and tyres failed. Traders voiced fears of food shortages as the indefinite strike started. The truckers started their strike following a call given by the All-India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) after last-minute talks with Road, Transport and Highways Secretary Brahm Dutt Sunday failed to break the deadlock.

Dubai: Dubai has not looked back since the accession of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on January 4, 2006. In the past three years, Dubai has developed even more as a global hub for business and tourism. The name Dubai has become an international brand, synonymous with success and good governance.

Tel Aviv/Gaza: Israeli troops pushed further into the Gaza Strip, battling Palestinian gunmen and cutting the enclave in two as they deployed south of Gaza City and seized control of a major road. An Israeli military spokesman said one soldier was killed and 31 wounded since the army first moved into the Gaza Strip Saturday night.

New Delhi: India has handed over evidence on the Mumbai attacks to Pakistan on Monday, and expects a prompt investigation, the foreign ministry said. "The material is linked to elements in Pakistan," the foreign ministry said in a statement The coordinated strikes in Mumbai by 10 gunmen killed 179 people.

New Delhi: India's flagship carrier Air India has handed 10 air hostesses the pink slip for being overweight. The hostesses, who were grounded some months earlier, were served the termination notices in the last week of December, a senior Air India official said. All terminated hostesses were serving on domestic routes. One of the sacked airhostesses said that she was grounded two years back and had not been given salary since then. She got one month's salary along with the termination letter.

Thiruvananthapuram: Kozhikode district has got the distinction of hosting the Kerala School Kalotsavam in its golden jubilee year in 2010, according to Education Minister M.A. Baby. Baby said the 50th Kerala School Kalotsavam would be held from January 4 to 10, 2010.

Gaza: Tens of thousands of Israeli troops battled Hamas fighters in Gaza early on Monday amid tank, artillery and air strikes, as the death toll from the offensive to end rocket attacks passed 510. Israeli forces moved into the fringes of Gaza City as families fled or hid on the second night of combat. The Israeli government fought off intense international pressure over its biggest military operation since its 2006 war in Lebanon, with French President Nicolas Sarkozy due in the region, as well as Russian and EU delegations.

United Nations: United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon has asked the divided Security Council and the world community to help bring a 'speedy' end to escalating crisis in the Middle East. Ban will also meet with Arab ministers, who are here to press for the passage of the Libyan draft resolution in the Council. As the death toll among Palestinians rose to more than 500 and Israel showed no signs of halting its ground invasion of Gaza, Ban decided to convene a meeting

Colombo: Sri Lanka has said that it has not yet taken a decision whether or not to hand over Tamil Tiger chief Velupillai Prabhakaran to India if he is caught alive by its troops, who are currently approaching the last major rebel bastions in the jungle district of Mullaitivu. According to a local media report, defence spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has said Colombo would consider the matter seriously if India was to make an official request for Prabhakaran's extradition

Washington: US President-elect Barack Obama arrived in Washington from Chicago, his home town, some two weeks before his inauguration on January 20. The future First Lady Michelle Obama and her two daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha Obama, 7, arrived in the US capital a day earlier on Saturday. Malia and Sasha Obama would start going to their new school on Monday. The Obama family would stay in Hay-Adams hotel, till a few days before the inauguration, when they will move to Blair House, where presidents-elect normally stay before their swearing in.

New Delhi: Transporters went on an indefinite strike from Monday after their talks with the government failed for the third time yesterday. The strike is expected to disrupt supplies of essential commodities. "We have gone on a strike from midnight. We will continue our strike until our demands are met by the government," All India Motor Transport Congress President Charan Singh Lohra said.

Panaji: A 24-year-old Dutch woman has complained to the Goa police that she was drugged, robbed and raped by a group of Nigerians on the New Year's eve near the Anjuna beach, police sources said. While police officials are tight-lipped about the matter, the complainant has been shunted from one police station to another in the last few days, as she pleaded that her complaint be registered.

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister-designate Omar Abdullah Sunday said he was 'desirous' of talking to separatist leaders from the state. Omar Abdullah, accompanied by his wife Payal and father Farooq, arrived here to a warm reception Sunday afternoon, a day before the National Conference president is slated to be sworn in as the ninth chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

Noida: Government primary and junior high schools in the National Capital Region (NCR) of Noida and Ghaziabad will remain closed till Jan 7 because of dense fog and intense cold, according to official orders Sunday.

Doha: Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, on Sunday renewed his country's call for holding an emergency Arab summit to take a firm position on the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza. In a televised speech by Al Jazeera TV station, Shaikh Hamad described the aggression as a crime against humanity, accusing those who call for a ceasfire of putting the Palestinain victims on an equal footing with the Israeli aggressors.

Melbourne: Finding it difficult to cope with Australia's mediocre show in 2008, a leading newspaper said top players suffered from slump after playing in the inaugural Indian Premier League and associating with the lucrative IPL was a 'pact with the devil'

Occupied Jerusalem: The Israeli army pushed ahead with its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, with tanks and infantry battling Hamas fighters. Hamas said that Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian fighters in the outskirts of Gaza City. In northern Gaza, Israeli mortar attacks reportedly killed eight Palestinians. Hamas said it captured two Israeli soldiers during fighting in the Gaza Strip on Sunday and was holding them hostage.

New York: The UN Security Council was again unable to reach a resolution on the Mideast conflict late Saturday, hours after Israeli troops launched a ground offensive into the Gaza Strip. The hastily arranged meeting, called by Arab countries, lasted nearly four hours behind closed doors. Jean-Maurice Ripert, French ambassador to the UN and current holder of the Security Council's rotating chairmanship, said there was a strong consensus among the 15 member countries to issue an opinion on the conflict

DHAKA: Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina, whose grand alliance swept the landmark general election in Bangladesh, is set to be sworn in as Prime Minister on Tuesday, three days after her party's new MPs elected her the leader of the majority group. 61-year-old Hasina along with her Cabinet will take oath on Tuesday, Bangbabhaban presidential palace and party sources said today. "President Iajuddin Ahmed will administer the oath of office to the new Cabinet on Tuesday," Secretary of the President's office, Mohammad Sirajul Islam, said.

Thiruvananthapuram: Technopark officials here are finalising the master plan for the first district level IT park in Kerala, to come up at Kundara near Kollam. M. Vasudevan, a senior Technopark official, said the IT park would be developed under the public-private partnership (PPP) policy of the state government.

ERUSALEM: Israeli troops have killed dozens of Hamas militants during the much-expected ground operation into Gaza, after week-long airstrikes on the coastal strip claimed over 460 Palestinian lives. Israeli forces marched into the coastal territory on Saturday backed by heavy artillery fire, air and naval bombardment after week-long airstrikes. Initial local media reports from both Israel and Gaza indicated that IDF troops had killed dozens of Hamas gunmen as they traded heavy fire upon entering the Strip.

NEW DELHI: As part of efforts to drum up international pressure for nailing Islamabad's lies, Home Minister P Chidambaram will travel to the U.S. next week armed with evidence about involvement of Pakistan-based terrorists in the Mumbai attacks. 'I will be going to the U.S. next week. The dates are being finalised,' Chidambaram told PTI in New Delhi on Saturday.

Umm Al Quwain: President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice- President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, other rulers and senior officials on Saturday offered prayers for the late Shaikh Rashid Bin Ahmad Al Mualla at Umm Al Quwain's Grand Mosque. Shaikh Rashid died in London on Friday. He was 77.

United Nations: Expressing 'alarm' over 'serious' escalation of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that the ground attack by Tel Aviv into Gaza and continued rocket attacks by Hamas complicates the efforts of those trying to bring the violence to an end.

Jakarta: A series of powerful earthquakes at dawn killed at least four people in remote eastern Indonesia today, cutting power lines and badly damaging buildings.

Colombo: Sri Lanka pressed ahead with its air and ground assaults against the Tamil Tiger rebels Saturday, a day after seizing control of the guerrillas' political hub Kilinochchi, defence sources said. The military sources said the troops while consolidating their newly captured positions in Kilinochchi town, lying 350 km north of here, advanced further into the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) stronghold.

Baghdad: The U.S. military took a step towards pulling combat troops from Iraqi cities on Saturday, moving out of a Baghdad base that Iraqi officials said would be dismantled and converted back into a shopping mall. It was the first U.S. military base to be handed over to Iraq since U.S. forces came under Iraqi authority on Jan. 1 in step with a new bilateral security pact.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress unit in Kerala Saturday ruled out the possiblity of admitting the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) into the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF). 'I do not know why you are so much interested in this topic. The meeting of the Congress party held here today had serious issues relating to people of Kerala for discussion and not issues like admission of NCP. How many times have I said that this is not in our agenda at all?' state Congress president Ramesh Chennithala said.

Wayanad , Three men have been arrested for allegedly selling six specimens of a protected species of barn owls near here. 'One man was arrested early Dec 25 while the other two were trapped when they were trying to sell six juvenile owls. The arrested man had informed about the trading of owls by the other two men,' Forest Range officer G. Pradeep told IANS.

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Saturday visited the India-Pakistan border at Banaskantha and interacted with security personnel. 'The soldiers are keenly watching the border. Our forces are alert and prepared to withstand any challenge,' Modi said while addressing troopers at the Border Security Force (BSF) outpost 960

The Ezhimala Naval Academy, a project to conduct a host of training courses, including research, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on January 8, Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta said today.

Kolkata: Opposition parties in West Bengal have launched a 'well-planned onslaught' against the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) that leads the state's ruling Left Front, party general secretary Prakash Karat said here Saturday.

Gaza: Israeli troops backed by helicopters advanced into Gaza on Saturday, a Palestinian witness and the Israeli army said, in the first ground action of an eight-day offensive against Hamas in the Palestinian enclave. The small column of military vehicles crossed the boundary fence into the northern Gaza Strip under darkness, said the witness, a resident of Beit Lahiya.

Mumbai: An international symposium to discuss new ideas on the experimental and observational aspects of the 'physics of gravity' is being organised by Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) at Kochi from tomorrow. The scientists will discuss a wealth of recent data pertaining to the gravitational interaction at the five-day symposium, said C S Unnikrishnan of the TIFR.

Mangalore, Jan 3: Dakhina Kannada district unit of Srirama Sene has alleged that the copies of the Holy Bible were distributed to the students of a private school in Neermarga Merlapadavu recently. The Sene alleges, that the teacher concerned had asked the interested students to collect the copies, informing them that she would be posing questions on the book next week, to those who take the books.

Mumbai, Jan 2 (IANS) In a bid to lower the cost of borrowings for commercial banks, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Friday cut the both the repurchase and reverse-repurchase rates by 100 basis points each, while reducing the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 0.5 percent points. 'The reduction in the CRR will inject additional liquidity of around Rs.20,000 crore (Rs.200 billion/$4 billion),' the central bank said in a statement, while announcing a further monetary stimulus to prop the economy.

Abu Dhabi:UAE President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan mourns the death of Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Umm Al Quwain, His Highness Shaikh Rashid Bin Ahmad Al Mualla, who passed away Friday morning in London. A week long state of mourning has been declared during which flag will fly at half mast, while all ministries and other government departments and institutions will close for three days beginning from Friday.

New Delhi: Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts will get a three-fold salary raise and the Chief Justice of India will get Rs one lakh after the Government today decided to bring an ordinance to hike the monthly pay for the higher judiciary.

New Delhi: Rubbishing Pakistan's 'advice' for de-activating ground and air troops in forward areas, India today said it has no right to give any such suggestion and pointed out that 30 terror outfits are still active in that country. Maintaining that India has done no escalation and the armed forces were only doing their duty, Defence Minister A K Antony said there is 'no noticeable change' in the attitude of Pakistan and Indian forces will have to remain alert.

Thiruvananthapuram: Inorder to cut down on traffic accidents and bring about road discipline, the State government plans to set up traffic wings in all districts and allot more personnel, said Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan.

Colombo: Sri Lankan troops have captured the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels' headquarters town of Kilinochchi after months of fighting, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Friday. "We should pay the gratitude of the whole nation to those heroic soldiers who achieved that victory," Rajapaksa said

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Blakrishnan Friday said the police force has been directed to use computers extensively so that law and order issues can be tackled more efficiently.

Riyadh : If your imagination goes beyond the earth and lands at Moon above your head, then the reality make you to touch down at Half-Moon on the earth. If my imagination is not wrong, then one would definitely feel as if he is touching the soil of Moon when he happen to be in Half-Moon Desert, which is really an exotic place and is situated at Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, around 40 K.M. from Al-Khobar

Riyadh : The law and order authorities of Saudi Arabia are said to have stumbled upon crucial evidence in the case relating to the murder of Jokatte Ismail Idinabba, in the form of a mobile phone that they reportedly recovered from a road near Athika area of Riyadh. They later arrested two Keralites and a Mangalorean in connection with the said case.

Bangkok: At least 59 New Year revellers were killed when a blaze swept through an upscale Bangkok club, officials said. More than 200 people were injured in the blaze, which some say was caused by electrical fault, while others claim fireworks sparked it. A number of foreigners were among the casualties from the blaze that began shortly after midnight at the Santika Club in the Ekamai entertainment district

Islamabad: An FBI team visited Faridkot in Pakistan's Punjab province to investigate about Ajmal Amir Iman 'Kasab', the lone terrorist captured during the Mumbai attacks who hails from the area.The five-member team of the FBI was headed by its South Asian Director William Robert, Geo TV reported. According to sources, the purpose of the FBI team's visit was to investigate about Kasab, it said. The channel also claimed, without quoting anyone, that according to the FBI team it found no evidence.

Washington/Islamabad : US President George W Bush on Wednesday spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and all the three leaders agreed to avoid any action that would "raise tensions" in the region.

Kolkata: Indian Premier League (IPL) side Kolkata Knight Riders has called former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin's son Mohammad Asaduddin for a three-day trial at the Eden Gardens from Jan 5.

New Delhi: Declining food and fuel prices pushed inflation down for the eighth week in succession to 6.38 per cent for the week ended December 20, a trend that may allow RBI to effect more cuts in key rates to further growth.

GAZA CITY : Israel sent more troops to the Gaza border on Wednesday, rapidly moving forward with preparations for a possible ground offensive as the next stage of its military assault on the coastal territory's Hamas rulers.

Malappuram: A youth was beaten to death in a clash between people from two colonies during the New Year celebrations in Perinthalmanna on Thursday morning

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor R S Gavai and Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan has greeted Keralites on the New Year. In his message Gavai urged the people to stand together and strive for a fruitful year of allround progress and development, upholding the unity of the nation.

GAZA CITY — Hamas vowed to fight "until the last breath" if Israel makes good on threats to send ground troops into Gaza after rejecting calls for a truce and pressing on with its air assault.

MUMBAI: Regional Congress committee chief Kripashankar Singh hinted on Wednesday that the party would positively consider Shah Rukh Khan as a candidate if the actor sought a ticket for the coming Lok Sabha polls from a constituency in Mumbai.

Gaza: Israeli leaders decided to reject an immediate 48-hour pause in fighting and push ahead with the devastating air offensive against Hamas, sending jets and assault helicopters to pound targets in the Gaza Strip for a fifth day on Wednesday. Israel is facing growing international pressure to halt the assault and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert discussed a cease-fire proposal, proposed by France, with his foreign and defence ministers overnight.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is under "tremendous pressure" from the US to extradite Lashkar-e-Taiba operations commander Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind of the Mumbai terror attacks, to India, a media report said on Wednesday. The Americans are believed to have given Pakistan a taped conversation Lakhvi allegedly had with gunmen involved in attacks on Mumbai on November 26. American audio experts had checked the tape and concluded it was genuine and that the speaker was Lakhvi, the Dawn newspaper quoted US and diplomatic sources as saying.

Thiruvananthapuram: The state cabinet meeting here on Wednesday has decided to form Debt Relief Commission for fishermen. Retired High Court Judge, justice Dinesan will be the chairman of the commission and Dr Purushan, Kuttayi Basheer, former MLA P Raju and K P Jayaseelan will be the members of the commission, said Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan while briefing cabinet decision. Cabinet has also decided to file a memorandum to the centre by pointing out the common needs of the state.

Gaza: The Gaza Strip lay relatively silent on Wednesday, with only two airstrikes reported, a significant drop from the heavy Israeli bombardment over the past few days. The drop in severity of Israel’s offensive may be in response to strong international pressure to end violence immediately.

Ranchi: Jharkhand has provided the highest "Z category" security cover to Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni following the receipt of a letter by his family that threatened that they would be harmed if the skipper fails to pay Rs.5 million to a gangster, police said Wednesday.

New York: US President-elect Barack Obama, with his silence on Israel's attacks in Gaza, has confirmed Arab expectations that foreign policy changes will come small and slow when he moves into the White House next month. On the fourth day of Israeli air strikes which have killed more than 380 people in Gaza, the US President-elect has yet to take a position, though he spoke out after militants' attacks in Mumbai and has made detailed statements on the US economy.

Muscat: Leader of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) strongly condemned the barbaric Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people in Gaza and held Israel responsible for taking the situation to a dangerous level. In the final communique of the 29th GCC Summit concluded in Muscat yesterday, the council voiced deep concern over the flagrant Israeli offensive, which led to a large number of deaths and injuries, destruction of properties and terrorising civilians with no consideration for ethics, humanity or international legitimacy resolutions.

Gaza/Tel Aviv: Israel Tuesday rejected calls by the UN and European Union (EU) for an immediate ceasefire and instead prepared for what could be 'long weeks of combat', as a ferocious air offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip entered its fourth day. Caretaker Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the air campaign, which has seen close to 400 airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza in just four days, was only the

Ezhimala: Almost 22 years after its foundation stone was laid, the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, on this promontory overlooking the Arabian Sea, is ready for inauguration.

Cairo: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday hit back at Egypt's critics over the Israeli attacks on Gaza, and said that his country would not allow "anyone to serve his interests and extend his influence at the expense of Egypt". Mubarak's comment was apparently in reaction to vociferous protests and criticisms made in several Arab countries against Egypt for refusing to fully open its border with Gaza, which has been under deadly Israeli attacks since Saturday

Washington: US President George W. Bush spoke with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Tuesday over efforts to achieve "a sustainable ceasefire" to end the fighting in the Gaza Strip, the White House said. Bush also spoke with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak, said Gordon Johndroe, a White House spokesman. "They agreed that for any ceasefire to be effective, it must be respected, particularly by Hamas," Johndroe said in Crawford, Texas, where Bush is vacationing.

Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has ordered the cancellation of all forms of celebrations marking the New Year in Dubai emirate, as an act of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Dhaka: Bangladesh's charismatic leader Sheikh Hasina, who favours strong ties with India, has scripted a stunning victory trouncing rival BNP in the country's first polls in seven years, restoring democracy in the impoverished nation after two years of military-led rule. Hasina's Awami League-led alliance clinched 258 seats of the total 300 seats in parliament leaving only 31 constituencies to her archrival Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led four-party

New Delhi: Congratulating Sheikh Hasina on her electoral victory in Bangladesh, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday invited her to visit India 'at your earliest possible convenience'. He said he would ask his 'senior colleague External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to visit Bangladesh as soon as possible to personally convey our good wishes'.

Thiruvananthapuram: As per the demand of the CPI-M state committee, which asked Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan to drop three of his close aides, government pleader Adv D Anil Kumar resigned from his post. Anil Kumar handed over his resignation letter to advocate general on Wednesday morning.

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala University Tuesday decided to confer honorary doctorates on ace film maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Malayalam Megastar Mammootty and mrudangam expondent Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman. Mammootty told IANS that he was delighted on being conferred with the honour. 'Yes, this is my first honarary doctorate. I am elated because I am being given (it) alongside two great people. I am being told that another university in Kerala is also considering me. Any award is a recognition and I am really happy about this one,' said Mammootty who has decided to take a day off from work Wednesday.

Pathanamthitta: The Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple opened today for the 22-day ''Makaravilakku'' festival. Melsanthi N Vishnu Namboodiri opened the sanctum sanctorum in the presence of Thantri Kantararu Rajeevaru and lit the ceremonial lamps. 'Sannidhanam' witnessed heavy rush of pilgrims, who in ecstatic trance chanted ''Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa'', at a high pitch that reverberated in the hills and dales.

Kochi:T P M Ibrahim Khan, member of the Centre's Haj goodwill delegation, has recommended to constitute an ''Indian Haj Development and Investment Corporation' to avoid multiplicity of agencies working for the pilgrimage.

Pakistan's National Security Adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani on Tuesday may not be ruling out Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, the lone terrorist captured alive during the Mumbai terror attacks, being a Pakistani national.

Religious leader Dayanand Pandey, arrested in connection with the Malegaon blast, has confessed to his involvement in the September 29 explosion that killed six persons, a senior police official today said. "Pandey has confessed to his involvement in the Malegaon blast. We have taken all precautions to ensure that his confession is admissible in the court," Additional Commissioner of Police (Anti-Terrorism Squad) Parambir Singh said.

A day after Jet Airways reduced fares on domestic routes, state-owned operator Air India on Tuesday announced fare cut up to 82 per cent in at least 20 sectors, mostly on metro routes, a senior airline official said. "The new fare cut comes into effect from today (Tuesday). We have cut fares on 20 sectors by up to 82 per cent. This will largely benefit passengers on metro routes," an airline spokesperson told IANS.

GAZA, -- Hamas on Tuesday said it will be the victor of the current offensive that Israel launched against the Islamic movement in Gaza Strip. "Those who believe that these strikes will end Hamas have to remember what happened in Lebanon in 2006," said Ismail Radwan, a Hamas spokesman, referring to the war between Israel and the

TEHRAN - Iran has set up a court to try Israelis for its air attacks on Gaza and is ready to try in absentia any people who Tehran says have committed "crimes," a judiciary official said on Tuesday. Iran, which does not recognise Israel, has criticised some Arab states for not doing enough to stop military action by the Jewish state.

New Delhi : Terming Israel's attacks on Gaza strip as the "blackest face of state terror", the CPI(M)on Tuesday asked the UPA government to severe its ties with Tel Aviv. Leading a protest march against the attacks here, CPI (M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat said, "maintaining relations with a government that believes in state terror is against Indian interests in the international arena." She criticised the failure of the government to condemn the attacks.

Kathmandu: The government's decision to sack South Indian priests from the Pashupatinath Temple in the capital has sparked a row in Nepal, with the main Opposition party as well as the local pro-Hindu groups protesting against the Maoists for hurting "the religious sentiments".

Bangalore:The BJP in Karnataka is all set to gain simple majority in the state Assembly as it has won Arabhavi and Hukkeri seats, besides securing early leads in other four of the eight constituencies as counting of votes in the last week's byelections progressed today. BJP candidate Balachandra Jarakiholi, who is also Minister in the B S Yeddyurappa government, was declared elected from Arabhavi, defeating his nearest Congress rival Vivek Ral Patil by a margin of over 31,000 votes.

Dhaka: Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her nine-party alliance raced to a landslide victory, winning 225 seats of the 299 seats that figured in Bangladesh's ninth general election held Monday. This meant a searing defeating for Hasina's arch political rival and two-term prime minister, Begum Khaleda Zia, and her Islamist allies who together enjoyed a two-thirds majority in the last elected parliament (2001-06)

Thiruvananthapuram: The curtains will be up for Asia's biggest art and cultural event; the weeklong state school youth festival, which will, began here on Tuesday. A total of 7,624 contestants would be vying for honours in 216 disciplines, which includes 81 in high school session, 97 in higher secondary division 19 in Arabic literary festival and Sanaskritholsavam respectively.

Brussels/Paris: The French government Monday called for an emergency meeting of the European Union's (EU) foreign ministers to discuss the crisis in the Middle East, officials confirmed. France, which holds the EU's rotating presidency until Thursday, has called for a meeting of the top diplomats of the bloc's 27-member states in Paris Tuesday to "discuss the EU's contribution to solving the current crisis", a statement said.

Gaza City: Israeli warplanes carried out dozens of air strikes on the Gaza Strip early this morning,killing at least 10 Palestinians and wounding 40, the director of Gaza's emergency services, Moawiya Abu Hassanein told AFP. At least 40 air strikes, centred mostly on Gaza City, targeted the Hamas ministry and security buildings, Hamas sources and witnesses said.

Pathanamthitta: The Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala will be opened tomorrow for the 22-day Makaravilakku festival.Melsanthi N Vishnu Namboodiri will open the sanctum sanctorum at 1730 hrs and light the ceremonial lamps. Poojas icluding ''Neyyabhishekm'' will commence from December 31 with Thantri Kantararu Rajeevaru performing ''Maha Ganapathy Homam.'' Hundreds of pilgrims are camping at Pampa and ''Sannidahanam'' in anticipation of 'Darshan' on the opening day itself.

MELBOURNE: Ricky Ponting's Australia are now just one defeat away from losing their world number one crown after South Africa crushed them by nine wickets in the second Test to register their first ever series victory Down Under.

Kochi: Prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and other petroleum products would go down shortly, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Murli Deora said here Monday.

Itanagar: A high security alert has been sounded in Arunachal Pradesh following the theft of a whopping Rs.170 million from a government treasury, officials here said Tuesday.

Thiruvananthapuram: Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Monday said the government would constitute ''coastal vigil committees'' with the cooperation of fishermen for the protection of coastal areas of the state. Speaking at a function, he said functioning of the committees would be centred in coastal police stations and the project would be implemented in the 64 coastal police stations. Kodiyeri said fishermen who give valuable information about terrorist would be suitably rewarded

New Delhi: Defence minister AK Antony has said that the defence ministry will set up the fourth unit of BEML at Kanjikodu, Palakkad. He said that Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan would lay the foundation stone for the factory on January 18. AK Antony will preside the function. The State Government would acquire 400 acres of land in the first phase for this purpose, he added. The state government has also agreed to provide additional 600 acres of land too.

KABUL - Afghanistan's Taliban guerrillas Monday called on the world's Muslims to unite and wage war against Israel in response to its air strikes that have killed more than 300 Palestinians in Gaza.

CRAWFORD, Texas — The Bush administration called Monday for an end to the new flare up in Mideast violence, saying Hamas has "once again shown its true colors as a terrorist organization" with attacks on Israel.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan's army chief stressed Monday the need to avoid conflict with India, days after he ordered troops toward the rivals' shared border amid tensions following last month's terror attacks on Mumbai

New Delhi: A day after Kingfisher Airlines announced a fare cut, national carrier Air India Monday announced a similar fare reduction from Jan 1. "In view of the slackening demand in post-peak season and continued decline in fuel prices, Air India will be adjusting domestic fares downwards on various sectors shortly," an Air India spokesperson said here.

Srinagar: Clearing all confusion, National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah Monday said that he would recommend to his party that his son Omar Abdullah should be the new Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. "The time has now come. I will recommend to the party that it should consider Omar Abdullah for the Chief Minister's post. I thought over the issue during the night," he said with Omar by his side. Now the state should have a younger Chief Minister because there are a lot of things to do, the 72-year-old leader said.

ISLAMABAD: A moderate earthquake rattled large parts of northwestern Pakistan on Monday, shaking buildings and sending terrified people out on the streets. Preliminary reports said the quake had a magnitude of 5.7 on the Richter scale, said Chaudhry Qamar-uz-Zaman, head of Pakistan's meteorological department. There were no reports of casualties or damage to property, he said.

Melbourne: A recent television poll has shown that Australians want former cricketer Shane Warne in the role of a Prime Minister. The poll took place on Nine Network when the maverick Warne shared the commentary box with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) during the Test match against South Africa here Saturday.

Kochi: As a crucial turning point in the controversial Sr Abhaya case, the CBI today informed Ernakulam Judicial Magistrate Court that Sr.Sefi has hammered Sr Abhaya to death. The investigating agency made the statement when the accused were produced before court after the period for custodial interrogation was over. As per CBI, Sr Sefi hit Abhaya thrice using an axe.

Kozhikode: Fisheries Minister S Sarma has said that helicopter facilities will be extended to rescue fishermen in times of need. One will be provided in Kozhikode for Malabar region and other in Thiruvananthapuram.

New Delhi: Noted painter Manjit Bawa died in the national capital early Monday after a prolonged illness. He was 67. According to a family member, the last rites of the painter will be performed at noon. Bawa, well known for the vibrant use of colours in his paintings, was in coma following a brain haemorrhage three years ago.

New Delhi: Congress tonight appeared to be veering around the view that it will back the National Confrence(NC) to form a coalition government in which it will also take part. Though the Congress deferred its decision on its strategy after a meeting of top party leaders including party chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, party sources indicated that NC was being considered as a 'natural ally' and the Congress would be part of the govenment to give it a measure of stability.

Gaza City: Israel widened its deadliest-ever air offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers on Monday, bombing the Islamic University and a government compound in Gaza City. Other targets were a guest palace used by the Hamas government and the house next to Gaza Hamas leader Esmail Haniya's home near Gaza City. He was not home. The two-day death toll from air strikes on Gaza has climbed to above 290, with Israel sending more soldiers, tanks and artillery toward the Gaza border for a possible ground invasion.

MELBOURNE: Australian government should "take responsibility" and apologise to the "innocent" Indian doctor Mohammad Haneef, whose detention in connection with a failed UK terror plot was declared wrongful by an independent inquiry, the Premier of Queensland state said on Monday. Anna Bligh, the Premier of Queensland, where Haneef was working before being arrested last year, said it was the duty of the Kevin Rudd government to say sorry as "governments take responsibility for government activity," the APP agency said

Kozhikode: The special Court dealing with Marad case will commence hearing of the argument on convicts to decide the quantum of punishment that should be granted for 63 convicted, in a case relating to the May 2003 communal attack which claimed nine lives at Marad beach near here, from today. The Special Court had on 26th convicted 63 and acquitted 76 in the case. The court will also record the statements of the 63 convicts during hearing.

Dhaka: Polling began peacefully across Bangladesh amidst toughest security Monday to elect the country's ninth parliament, election officials said. They said polls started at 8 a.m. and will continue up to 4 p.m. without a break. No untoward incident was reported in the first hour. More than 81 million voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to elect a 300-member parliament out of which the elections for 299 seats are being held Monday. Voting for one seat has been deferred till Jan 12 following the death of one candidate.

Thiruvananthapuram:The Kerala School Kalotsavam, a mega cultural meet, is all set to enter the Guinness Book of Records as nearly 9,000 students are taking part in over 215 events.

Palakkad: Two sisters committed suicide by hanging at Puthusseri in Palakkad distric

Srinagar: As the National Conference (NC) prepares to work out an alliance with the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir after emerging as the single largest party in the assembly polls, party patron Farooq Abdullah reiterated Monday that he will become the next chief minister, though the Congress has not yet said who it will support for the post.

New Delhi: With no concrete outcome from Pakistan on arresting those behind the Mumbai attacks and concerned over Islamabad’s attempts to move troops along the Indo-Pak border, India, too, has started taking the first steps towards beefing up its defences and maintaining a posture that would require “the least time to move into full operational readiness.”

Mumbai, Kolkata: As the year 2009 dawns, all eyes will be set on the much-awaited Tata Nano, reportedly to be launched in the last quarter of this financial year (Jan-Mar’09). However, the company dealers are still not in a position to tell customers when ‘the people’s car’ will be launched. “Hundreds of customers call us everyday. We are unable to answer their queries as the company has not informed us when will the car be launched and at what price,” said a concerned dealer in Mumbai

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha elections are "most likely" to be held in April-May next year, Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami said on Sunday. "Looks like it would most likely be held in April-May," he said in reply to a question when the elections would be held. "March is a month of examinations. So you could say that it would be most likely held then," the CEC said when asked whether general elections would be held in April-May.

Srinagar: National Conference patron and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, NC chief Omar Abdullah and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and his daughter Mehbooba have won their respective assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir.Abdullah won the Ganderbal constituency from where he was defeated by a PDP candidate in the 2002 elections.

Jammu/Srinagar: PDP leaders Mufti Muhammed Saeed and Mahbooba Mufti have won assembly seats. While Mufti Muhammed Saeed won from Ananthnag, Mehbooba Mufti won from Wachi. Omar Abdullah has won the assembly seat from Gantherbal. While former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah was trailing by 75 votes in Sonawar constituency. However, he was leading in Hazratbal.

Islamabad: In an apparent bid to reduce tensions with India, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari Saturday said the 'cancer' of terrorism was plaguing his country too but cautioned New Delhi against dictating terms. Zardari admitted his country did have 'non-state actors' - a term he had used to describe the 10 terrorists who ravaged India's financial capital Mumbai last month.

Kolkata: The people of Jammu and Kashmir have voted against divisive politics and for parties with national perspective, which was a pointer to the future, the CPI(M) said today.

GAZA CITY: Israeli warplanes retaliating for rocket fire from the Gaza Strip pounded dozens of security compounds across the Hamas ruled territory in unprecedented waves of airstrikes on Saturday, killing more than 200 people and wounding nearly 400 in the single bloodiest day of fighting in years.

Malappuram: Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan will lay the foundation stone on January 18 for heavy metal factory which is being set up for defence purposes at Kanjikode in Palakkad district, said Industries Minister Elamaram Karim. While addressing newspersons after inaugurating the district conference of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) at Parappanangadi on Saturday, Karim said that the factory was being set up at the special interest of Union Defence Minister A.K. Antony. The Defence Minister will preside over the foundation laying function, he said.

Dubai: President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Saturday attended a lunch banquet hosted by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on the occasion of the marriage of his daughter to Shaikh Saeed Bin Dalmouk Bin Juma Al Maktoum.

A month since 2611 and all along, the wife of the martyred ATS chief has maintained a brave silence - despite rumours and reports that alternatively praised and criticised her husband. Several issues, such as why the three officers rushed to the forefront, to the playing up of the blood tests done on the bodies, hit the headlines with an insensitivity that must have irked the family.

Kozhikode, Dec 27 : A special court here today found 63 people guilty of violence that claimed nine lives at Marad beach, near here, five-years ago. Special Jugge Babu Mathew P Thomas however, acquitted 76 people out of 139 chargesheeted in the worst-ever communal violence that took place on May 2, 2003

Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, Pakistan: Tens of thousands of Pakistanis gathered on Friday at the mausoleum of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on the eve of the first anniversary of her assassination, some of them walking hundreds of miles to get there. At United Nations headquarters in New York, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he is hopeful a UN commission will be established in the near future to investigate Bhutto's killing in a gun and suicide bomb attack on December 27, 2007.

New Delhi/Islamabad: India Friday denounced Pakistan for whipping up 'war hysteria' by moving troops towards the border citing threats of an Indian surgical strike following the Mumbai terror attacks, even as it reiterated demand that Pakistan hand over three people named for the carnage.

Beijing: Three moderate earthquakes hit China's south-western region, injuring 19 people and forcing the evacuation of thousands of homes, state media reported on Saturday. A 4.9-magnitude quake hit Ruili, a city on the China-Myanmar border in Yunnan province, early on Friday, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the provincial seismic monitoring agency.

Gaza/Tel Aviv: Israel Friday gave Hamas and other Palestinian militant factions in the Gaza Strip 48 hours to reduce ongoing rocket and mortar attacks from the salient or risk an Israeli military operation into the strip.

China on Friday asked both India and Pakistan to 'properly handle' their relations in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks, saying that 'stable, peaceful and sound' ties between them was key to regional peace and stability.

New Delhi/Islamabad: India warned its citizens on Friday it was unsafe to travel to Pakistan after the prime minister met military chiefs, and Pakistan cancelled army leave and moved some troops from its western border. The warning marked a dramatic rise in tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours after last month's attack on Mumbai, in which 179 people were killed and which India has blamed on Islamist militants based in Pakistan.

Thiruvananthapuram: Food and Civil Supplies Minister C Divakaran said tsunami rehabilitation projects in the state would be completed under a time-bound programme.

Kozhikode: A Special Court, trying the Marad massacre case relating to the killing of nine people on the Marad beach near here in May 2003, will pronounce its verdict on Saturday. Adequate security arrangements have been made in and around the city limits to check possible outbreak of violence after the verdict is pronounced.

Pathanamthitta: The 41-day 'Mandalam' festival at the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple came to a close today with the Manadla Pooja. Thousands of devotees thronged Sannidhanam to witness the rituals. Thantri Kantararu Rajeevaru, assisted by Mesanthi N Vishnu Namboodiri, performed the ''Kalabha Pooja'' at the eastern mandapam of the temple

MANGALORE, December 26, 2008: The KSRTC today launched its services to the neighboring district in Kerala State-Kasargod. The ten new vehicles will ply between the two cities at an interval of 20 minutes from 6am morning to 10 pm. These buses sporting a new colour code will compete with the private bus services between the two cities and also with the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation. However both KSRTCs will bring down the frequency of services to just 5 minutes when the Karnataka SRTC will add another 15 vehicles to its fleet in a couple of weeks says, Managing Director of the KSRTC Gaurav Gupta.

QUETTA, Pakistan: Two Pakistani girls were killed Friday when a bomb exploded in their home in a remote village in restive southwestern Baluchistan province, police said.

DHAKA, Bangladesh: Police in northern Bangladesh arrested seven suspected militants tied to a banned Islamic group and seized a large cache of bomb-making materials.

ISLAMABAD: A hitherto unheard of pro-Taliban group called 'Ansar Wa Mohajir' has claimed responsibility for Wednesday's car bomb attack in Lahore, for which four alleged Indian nationals have reportedly been arrested by Pakistani authorities.

RIYADH: An Indian student who came to Riyadh on holiday to visit his parents drowned in a stream while playing with friends in a valley outside Riyadh on Tuesday. A Civil Defense official, who took part in the rescue operation, said Mohammed Jazeel, an 18-year-old engineering student, slipped into the water while playing close by. The stream is at least 12 feet deep. The official added that the student was wearing the same clothes and shoes that he had on when he left home. Officials ruled out any foul play. Jazeel, who previously studied at the International Indian School, Riyadh, left the Kingdom last year to pursue higher studies in India.

In a nail-biting finish, the Madras High Court on Wednesday allowed the release of Amir Khan-starrer Ghajini on the condition that producers of the Hindi remake of a 2005 Tamil film by the same name, deposit Rs5 crore in court. On Tuesday, a single judge of the Madras HC had stayed the release of the film in an application filed by A Chandrasekaran of Sri Saravana Creations, producers of the Tamil version of the movie. Hearing the appeal against the order, a two-judge bench gave a green signal to the film’s release after Allu Arvind, producer of the Hindi remake, promised to deposit Rs3 crore on Wednesday. “The remaining Rs2 crore have to be deposited in court before December 31, the next date of hearing,” Chandrasekran’s lawyer G Ananthrangam told DNA.

Mangalore, Dec 24: Air India Express will be operating both morning and night flights from the city to Dubai, with effect from January 12, 2009, subject to final approval from Airport Authority of India. Capt P P Singh, Chief Operating Officer of Air India Express has informed Karnataka NRI Forum UAE coordinator Rajesh Sequeira, that Air India Express has, after assessing the high potential the Mangalore sector holds for air travel on this sector, decided to start flights from the city to Dubai from January 12, 2009, in addition to the flight it already has been operating between these two destinations.

Islamabad, Pakistan Wednesday again asked India for 'credible and incriminating evidence' to prove the involvement of Pakistan-based entities in the Mumbai terror strikes. Noting that Pakistan had 'consistently maintained' that it has extended 'due cooperation' to India for a joint probe into the Mumbai carnage, Information Minister Sherry Rehman said: 'We still await credible and incriminating evidence that we can act upon.

Vatican City: Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Christmas Midnight Mass early on Thursday by sending out an appeal for children who are abused, forced to live on the street or serve as soldiers. Pope Benedict led the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics into Christmas in the splendour of St. Peter's Basilica, with a call to the faithful to help children who are denied the love of their parents and those who are exploited across the world. "The Child of Bethlehem summons us once again to do everything in our power to put an end to the suffering of these children," he said.

Occupied Jerusalem: The UAE and the Palestinian National Authority on Wednesday reiterated their adherence to the Arab peace initiative as a means to achieve stability and security in the region. "We believe the Arab peace initiative is the key to security, stability and development in our region," Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, said.

London: British media on Wednesday severly criticised England team for their below par performance against India in the recently concluded Test series against India. According to the leading newspaper The Guardian, English team missed a rare opportunity of winning a Test series in the sub-continent at Chennai. India chased down a target of 387 runs for the loss of four wickets on a crumbling fifth day wicket at Chennai against England.

BANGALORE: Who would have thought that in Karnataka money matters the most during polls? Or that in this supposedly progressive, literate southern state, 47% of voters trade their vote for cash, the highest in the country?

Islamabad: Pakistan agencies on Wednesday night claimed to have arrested an Indian national in connection with the Lahore car bomb blast that took place on Wednesday morning.

Islamabad, Islamic militants have imposed a ban on female education and warned teachers of severe consequences if any girl is seen heading for a school in the restive Swat district of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, local residents said. The announcement was made Friday by a spokesman of radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah - who has waged armed struggle to impose Taliban rule in the district - on a pirated FM radio frequency regularly used by the militants.

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 24 (IANS) Christian priests being arrested for murder, a nun committing suicide, another alleging torture in a convent... 2008 has been full of unsavoury incidents for churches in Kerala, except for one historic moment - the sainthood of Sister Alphonsa. Christians in Kerala account for around 23 percent of the 32 million population, of which the Catholic community accounts for more than 50 percent, followed by the Syrian Orthodox Church, and then come at least half a dozen other churches.

Islamabad: As Pakistani warplanes conducted sorties for the second straight day amid a war of words with India over the Mumbai attacks, Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani said the two countries couldn't afford tension along their border. "Nobody wants tensions on the borders and we are moving responsibly and with caution," Gilani told reporters on the sidelines of an official ceremony in Islamabad.

Chennai/Mumbai: The much-awaited release of Aamir Khan-starrer Hindi film 'Ghajini' has been nixed with the Madras High Court Tuesday staying its worldwide screening Thursday after the producers of the Tamil film on which it is based filed objections. Film industry circles say an amount of at least Rs.1.2 billion was riding on the Aamir Khan film. Justice P.R. Shivakumar granted the stay after A. Chandrasekaran, the producer of the original Tamil film of the same name, filed a suit claiming that the producers of the Hindi remake had 'fabricated documents to claim ownership over the remake rights'

RINAGAR: Polling for 21 constituencies in the seventh and final round of the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir today began amid tight security and overcast sky. "The voter turn-out was low this morning due to chilly conditions. However, polling staff and security personnel took up their positions at 1,872 polling booths by 7.30am," an official source said.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday greeted the nation on the occasion of Christmas and said the festival was an opportunity to celebrate the spirit of sharing and imbibe the teachings of Jesus Christ. The prime minister said in his message: 'Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, is an occasion for hope and happiness and provides an opportunity to celebrate the spirit of sharing and brotherhood.

Guwahati: A major disaster was averted Wednesday when a powerful explosion missed the super fast Rajdhani Express from New Delhi by a couple of minutes, although the blast damaged a portion of a railway track in Assam, officials said

Dubai The pressure of coming up with one cheque to pay your annual rent could soon be over with the Real Estate Regulatory Authority's (Rera) newly-created online registration of tenancy contracts in Dubai, analysts say. Rera recently urged tenants and landlords through an advertisement campaign to register tenancy contracts online from January 1, 2009, to develop a comprehensive rental index that will help it to evaluate and regulate the market better, with a Dh100 fee.

Thiruvananthapuram, The Railways have introduced SMS facility in collaboration with Google to know the reservation status of the train ticket and details of trains. The commuter has to just write down the 10-digit PNR number of the train ticket and send that text message to 9773300000.

Kozhikode, The 'hunger-free' project of the Kozhikode Corporation will be launched on January 26, Republic Day. The project, aimed at providing free mid-day meal daily to patients and their helpers, will be implemented at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital and the Government General Hospital on the Beach in the first phase.

SYDNEY: Australia's government and opposition Wednesday refused to apologise to an Indian doctor wrongly charged over a British terrorist plot,as his lawyers said they would seek substantial compensation. Doctor Mohamed Haneef has demanded an apology for being mistakenly arrested, detained and charged over a failed July 2007 plot to detonate bombs in London and Glasgow, while his lawyers say he will seek compensation for his ordeal.

NEW DELHI: Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday said “nobody wants war'' but demanded of Pakistan to take action against the groups responsible for the Mumbai attacks.

NEW DELHI: Government on Tuesday rejected the conspiracy theory propounded by union minister AR Antulay over the death of Hemant Karkare, saying questions raised about the circumstances in which the former Maharashtra ATS chief was killed are "wrong and deeply regrettable".

LOS ANGELES: Michael Jackson's camp has denied that the King of Pop is suffering from life-threatening lung disease and needs a lung transplant terming such reports as 'total fabrication'. The singer's agent issued a statement yesterday responding to recent comments by writer Ian Halperin in UK newspaper 'Sunday Express,' saying "wild allegations concerning Jackson's health are a total fabrication," E News reported.

MUMBAI: Two days before Aamir Khan-starrer ‘Ghajini' is supposed to hit the screens, a suit was filed in the Bombay High Court on Monday, seeking Aamir Khan with one of his fans during promotion of his new film Ghajini. (TOI Photo) a stay on its release. The suit has been filed by KBC Pictures on the issue of copyright and remake rights.

Kochi: Formidable Kannur University maintained its lead in the medal tally with 5 gold and a bronze medals after the completion of morning events on the penultimate day of the 69th All India Inter-University Athletic Championship at the Maharaja's College ground here.

Islamabad : Pakistani fighter jets flew low near major cities Monday amid tensions with India triggered by last month's terror attacks on Mumbai. The air force declined to comment on the flights but issued a statement saying that 'in view of the current environment, the Pakistan Air Force has enhanced its vigilance'.

NEW DELHI: The judicial inquiry, ordered by the Australian government, into the bungled arrest of Indian doctor, Mohamed Haneef, on terrorism charges in July last year has concluded that there was insufficient evidence for the authorities to lay charges against him, "The Australian" reported on its website on Tuesday. According to the newspaper, the report, expected to be released this week but already sent to the departments and agencies involved, recommends sweeping changes to the Australian Federal Police, immigration intelligence and the country's anti-terrorism laws.

Kochi: The Rs.15-billion ($375-million) IT park, Smart City Kochi, will request the state government to see that it gets special economic zone (SEZ) status without any strings. Speaking to reporters after the fifth director board meeting Monday evening, state Registration and Fisheries Minister S. Sarma, who is also the chairman of the Smart City Kochi, said the board has decided to request the state government to see that the project was guided by the agreement reached between the Dubai-based Smart City and the Kerala government

Kottayam: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati will visit Kottayam, after failing to woo Chennaites, here today evening in view of the coming Lok Sabha elections. Mayawati is currently in a three-day tour of the southern states from December 21. As part of the tour she will address the Sarvajan Samaj Sahodarya rally at Kottayam

Abu Dhabi: The public and private sectors will get a day off on Sunday, December 28, to mark the Hijri New Year and another holiday on Thursday, January 1, to mark the Gregorian New Year.

Moscow: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ensured Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Russia's continued support for the Palestinians in the Middle East. The number of problems has definitely not grown less," said Medvedev as he received Abbas for an official meeting at the Kremlin, reported the Interfax news service.

MUMBAI: Describing the present regime at the helm of affairs in the country as "impotent", Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Monday stressed the need for imposition of emergency. "Only Indira Gandhi had the guts to handle threats which endangered national security. There is no use of issuing just warnings to Pakistan. The government should have the daring to attack it," Thackeray told his party mouthpiece 'Saamna' in an interview.

BARMER: In a shocking breach of security, the existence of a cross-border tunnel underneath the fencing along the international border (IB) in Rajasthan has come to light through which drugs and fake currency were smuggled into Indian territory.

NEW DELHI: With the government due to make a statement in Parliament on the Antulay controversy, the Left on Sunday backed the minister by claiming that the circumstances of ATS chief Hemant Karkare’s death and the terror attacks on Mumbai were two entirely different issues

JAISALMER: Even as India refused to take the military option off the table while asking Pakistan to rein in the terrorists, the Indian Army's and IAF's quick reaction teams (QRTs) were deployed along the borders in the Western Sector.

Dubai: Peace in the Middle East will never be achieved by armed struggle or violence but by dialogue and direct talks based on mutual trust, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said on Sunday. Shaikh Mohammad was speaking at a meeting with Hans-Gert Pottering, President of the European Parliament, in Dubai, WAM reported. He urged world powers, including European nations, to adopt policies based on dialogue and direct talks to resolve the Middle East conflict.

LONDON: Pop legend Michael Jackson is suffering from a rare lung condition and is 'close to death', a British newspaper has claimed. Jackson needs to undergo an emergency transplant operation but is too weak to be rushed for surgery and may even be fighting for his life, the Sunday Express quoted Ian Halperin, who is penning a biography on the singer, as saying.

New Delhi: The Congress core committee, which met here Saturday in the wake of a controversy over Minority Affairs Minister A.R. Antulay's remarks on the killing of a police officer during the Mumbai terror attacks, put off a decision on his resignation with party managers deciding that the government would instead make a statement in parliament on the issue.

Kochi: The Ezhimala Naval Academy at Kannur set to be dedicated to the nation in January is undergoing finishing touches. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the academy considered to be the biggest in Asia at Ezhimala near Kannur next month.

Jammu: Congress president Sonia Gandhi Sunday warned Pakistan not to view India's peace efforts as a sign of its weakness. Pakistan has "failed to halt the use of its soil by terrorists", Gandhi told an election rally in Dablehar, about 30 km west of Jammu, adding that India was "quite competent" to respond to terrorist attacks.

Alappuzha: In order to solve the mystery behind the suicide of three teenage girls in the state last month, three to four of their classmates would be put through the polygraph test, a senior police official said Sunday.

Thiruvananthapuram : The ongoing global economic meltdown has pulled down liquor sales in Kerala, one of the highest liquor consuming states of the country. The beeline at counters of beverages corporation during peak hours in the evening has dried up. Barely more than five to six people are seen at leading shops in Thiruvananthapuram.

Shornur: The oath-taking ceremony of candidates who won the Municipality bypolls were postponed. Earlier it was decided to conduct the ceremony in the Assembly premises but the Municipal chairperson C K Jayalakshmi ordered to postpone the event.

PANAJI: A French woman was found dead at the helipad in Vagator on Sunday morning. Though investigations are still on police suspect it could be a case of drug overdose. Anjuna police sources said that the woman, in her early thirties, and her male companion were travelling in a van with kitchen, room and washroom and had stopped at the helipad to relax.

New Delhi: Terrorism and Pakistan are expected to dominate the two-day meet of New Delhi's envoys, beginning in New Delhi on Monday. The conference, with foreign policy issues on agenda, comes in the wake of last month's Mumbai terror attacks. The meeting was planned much before the Mumbai strikes took place, but got delayed due to New Delhi's drive to win international support for the Indo-US civil nuclear deal earlier this year.

JAISALMER: Even as India refused to take the military option off the table while asking Pakistan to rein in the terrorists, the Indian Army's and IAF's quick reaction teams (QRTs) were deployed along the borders in the Western Sector. QRTs are also keeping a close watch on air space with the help of additional defence equipment. Security in and around defence air strips has been tightened.

JERUSALEM — Israel threatened on Sunday to launch a major offensive against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip as violence simmered around the impoverished territory days after the end of a truce with the Islamists.

Kasab was also asked to explain the area were his training took place besides the people who had trained him in arms as well as the people who brainwashed him, the sources said. The 21-year-old Iman told his interrogators that he had started his career as a petty thief in Lahore, where he was staying with his brother after dropping out of school in 2000. Thereafter, he shuttled between his brothers home and his parent's house till 2005.

Mumbai: Guests trapped in a Mumbai hotel seized by gunmen last month have told the BBC they were given instructions by police that may have led to more people dying, according to BBC report. Police told a group hiding in the Taj Mahal Palace hotel that it was safe to leave the building, a survivor said. But members of the group were shot and killed by militant gunmen as they were making their way out.

Aluva: CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan said that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's comments is not befitting of her position. He was speaking at the concluding ceremony of the day/night strike organised by the Farmers Forum against the central government's farmer policies here on Sunday. Sonia had to think before making such comments under the influence of Congress leaders. And she made very low level allegations against the government.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh late Saturday met the top defence brass and reviewed the security preparedness in the aftermath of the Mumbai terrorist attacks, well-placed sources said. The high-level meeting was also attended by Defence Minister A.K. Antony, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan and the three services' chiefs - army chief General Deepak Kapoor, navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta and air force chief Air Chief Marshal Fali H. Major, the sources said.

New Delhi: Delhi seems to be the most unsafe city among the four metros in India, with the national capital witnessing a rape in every thousand minutes, if one goes by a latest government data. The Delhi city, excluding rural areas, witnessed a rape every 1003.1 minute last year while for Mumbai the figure was 3020.7 minutes, the statistics prepared by National Crime Records Bureau said. Kolkata seems to be the safest among the metros where a rape is reported only in 11,945.5 minutes.

Mumbai: Doormen in white suits and black turbans greeted visitors to the Oberoi with a bow on the eve of the hotel's reopening three weeks after it was targeted in a militant rampage. Security was noticeably tighter as guards scanned bags and sniffer dogs patrolled the ground outside. Armed policemen stood watch among bunkers of sandbags outside the entrance to the hotel's Trident portion, where the owners said 100 rooms would reopen on Sunday, just weeks after 10 militants stormed sites across India's financial capital.

Kolkata: Taking a tough stance, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said that Pakistan had been given enough evidence regarding the Mumbai terror attacks and 'Islamabad must act'.

New Delhi:Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today demanded that Tamil Nadu government arrest those behind the violence in the TNCC headquarters in Chennai. 'I expect the state government to arrest those behind the mischief,' he said.

Kottayam: The Union Forest and Environment Ministry has rejected the application submitted by the State governemnt seeking approval for preliminary investigations to set up a new dam in Mullaperiyar. The Centre has asked the State to resubmit the application adhering to legal policies.

Thiruvananthapuram: AICC Chief Sonia Gandhi's recent two-day visit to Kerala have given the party much needed boost and party workers have virtually gone into a pre-election mode. Empowered with the success of party's victory in three state assembly elections, three-day congress state conference held at Kochi between December 14 to 16 turned to be an election campaign for the Congress led United Democratic Front (UDF) opposition for the coming Lok Sabha polls

NEW YORK: Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan have been ranked among the 50 most powerful people in the world by the US-based magazine 'Newsweek' in a list topped by President-elect Barack Obama.

NEW DELHI: The next IPL Twenty20 extravaganza may unfold at Lord's as well. The tournament, which had a smashing debut earlier this year, is expected to be split with five weeks of action in India and three weeks in UK where it is expected to draw in sub-continental diaspora as well as English fans. The IPL proposal has been discussed with the English board which has evinced keen interest in the possibility of staging a part of the competition that was won last time by Jaipur Royals.

As Congress Core Group meets to discuss the mess created by A R Antulay's controversial remarks, the Union Minority Affairs Minister received rare support from within the party with AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh asking what was wrong in his statement. "Antulay has been misreported. What he has asked for is a probe which is already on. What is objectionable in his statement", he told reporters.

Kuala Lumpur: Saina Nehwal played her heart out but lost to world number six Chen Wang of Hong Kong in an edge-of-the-seat semifinal of the World Super Series Masters Final here today. The world number 10 Indian used every trick from her arsenal but failed to match the experience of her third seed Hong Kong opponent and went down fighting 15-21 21-14 16-21 to bring down curtains in the prestigious tournament.

Bahrain, Dec 20: A 45 km-long bridge between Qatar and Bahrain, billed as the world's longest, will be ready in 2013. Geological and marine surveys have started for the construction of the $3 billion Bahrain-Qatar Causeway. The implementation stage begins next month and the world's longest man-made bridge is scheduled to open for traffic by 2013, said a project spokesman.

MANGALORE Dec 19: The Mangalore division of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is all set to introduce buses to Kasaragod next week, albeit on a scale lower than what was originally promised. The division had received 10 double-door buses from Bangalore against the 25 originally planned, said divisional traffic officer G.T. Prabhakara Reddy. These 10 buses would be plying between the two cities on either side of the Karantaka-Kerala border, he said and added that more buses were likely to arrive in future.

New Delhi : The government on Friday decided to move an official amendment to the Constitution to define minority, a step which could enable it designate the Jains as a minority community. A meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

New Delhi: In the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks, the Centre is likely to set up coastal command in each of the nine coastal states in line with unified command structure currently operating in Jammu and Kashmir and Assam

LONDON: Sachin Tendulkar is god to billion Indians but he is a "gracious god" who lifts his people out of the pit of despair in the wake of Mumbai terror attacks, a leading British newspaper said, paying tribute to the champion batsman who has "not a scrap of ego".

GAZA CITY : Tension surged in and around Gaza on Friday as the Islamist rulers of the besieged Palestinian enclave declared an end to the troubled truce with Israel and warned they would respond to any attack. Shortly after the armed wing of Hamas formally announced the shaky six-month truce was over, the smaller Islamic Jihad group said it fired three rockets at Israel, which reported no damage or casualties. Security sources also reported that an Israeli driving a tractor in a field just outside Gaza was targeted by Palestinian gunmen but was not hit.

STOCKHOLM: Several Nobel science prize committees in Sweden are being investigated for possible bribery, a special corruption prosecutor said on Thursday. The first case involves several members from the prestigious Nobel committees for medicine physics and chemistry who visited China at the expense of the Chinese authorities.

WASHINGTON: The US has said that it was "not really worried" about the security and protection of India's nuclear power plants in the wake of the Mumbai attacks that India has blamed on a Pakistan-based terrorist group. "A nuclear power plant is not a hotel You protect it differently," Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian

Islamabad : Pakistani police have unearthed a plot to assassinate ex-president Pervez Musharraf and the revelation forced the former strongman to flee the country, a media report said Thursday. Police have alleged the conspiracy was masterminded by Sheikh Omar, a militant linked to Al Qaeda, who is on death row in a prison in the southern city of Hyderabad for the 2002 murder of Wall Street Journal

Dubai: Thirty-two-year-old Naveen Albuquerque from Jeppu Mangalore, who left his camp for Karama Dubai during Eid holidays to meet his friend, was found dead near Abra Creekside, Dubai on Wednesday December 17, 2008. Sylvester, brother of Naveen who also works for the same company (Belhasa construction) said that his brother left for Karama on Sunday December 7 afternoon. However, there was no news about him and no one knew about his whereabouts thereafter.

BAGHDAD — Iraq has arrested about 50 interior ministry officials for plotting a coup against the Shiite-led government, a senior Iraqi security official said on Thursday. "Fifty interior ministry civil servants, including senior officials, were arrested over the past three days for trying to topple the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Islamabad: Pakistan has summoned the Indian High Commissioner over alleged airspace violation by Indian Air Force (IAF) jets. However, India has denied any violation of Pakistani airspace by the Indian Air Force. Pakistan had claimed that Indian fighter jets violated the country's airspace in two separate sectors and were forced out by its combat aircraft The charge was rejected by India.

New Delhi : With a view to checking human trafficking, the Government plans to introduce biometric passport system that will include finger-printing, by 2010, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said today. "We have decided to introduce biometric passport system. We intend to complete the entire process by 2010," he said replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha.

NEW DELHI: A day after there was an uproar in Lok Sabha after minority affairs minister, A R Antulay triggered off a new controversy by questioning the killing of ATS chief Hemant Karkare Congress sources have said that Antulay's comment is taken as a breach of the party line and he could face action according to TV channel Times Now.

Minority Affairs Minister A.R. Antulay raised a storm on Wednesday after saying that slain Maharashtra police officer Hemant Karkare was a "victim of terrorism plus something". As the opposition bayed for his blood, his own Congress party quickly distanced itself from the remark. A former chief minister of Mahrashtra, Antulay made the remarks first to reporters in parliament complex saying the terrorists who ravaged Mumbai from November 26-29 had no reason to kill Karkare, head of the Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Mumbai Police.

NEW YORK: TIME magazine Wednesday named US president-elect Barack Obama its 2008 "Person of the Year." "For having the confidence to sketch an ambitious future in a gloomy hour, and for showing the competence that makes Americans hopeful he might pull it off, the president-elect is TIME's Person of the Year," the newsweekly said.

Lucknow Bowing before elders, even parents, or touching their feet is un-Islamic as per a fatwa (religious decree) issued by the Darul Ulooom, the supreme body of the majority of Sunnis. The Darul Ifta of Deoband, which is authorised to issue fatwas, issued the decree saying, "It is unlawful to bow down and touch feet in respect of anyone whether a Muslim or a non-Muslim."

NEW YORK/BOSTON: Satyam Computer Services Ltd bowed to investor pressure and canceled plans to spend $1.6 billion to buy two builders, killing the deals just 12 hours after they were announced. The quick change in plans, which was announced late on Tuesday, came after investors demonstrated their opposition to the deals by pushing shares in India's No 4 software services company down 55 percent in New York Stock Exchange trade.

Revered Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Sadiq on Tuesday declared that he would organise 'Joota Divas' or Shoe Day across the country just before Muharram, the month of mourning, against outgoing US President George Bush for encouraging terrorism in different countries targeting mainly the Muslims.

The unusual show of aggression from the Congress president Sonia Gandhi has provoked the Left parties to unleash an equally shrill counter campaign against her. "She doesn't know a thing about Kerala. Neither can we expect anything more. After all isn't she generally ignorant about not just Kerala but India itself?" said Veliyam Bhargavan, CPI state secretary. "All that she does is to read out what is handed to her by some local party fellow," he charged.

Pakistan welcomed India's assurance on Tuesday that it will not carry out any military action against its neighbour, saying such a statement will help improve the existing "climate" of relations between the two countries. Terming it a "welcome statement," Presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar said Pakistan has already made it clear that war is not a solution to the current problem.

PARIS -- Police found five sticks of dynamite in a landmark Paris department store Tuesday, after an unknown group warned that bombs were hidden there and threatened more attacks unless France withdraws its military forces from Afghanistan. The interior minister, Michele Alliot-Marie, said the dynamite was old and there was no detonator to set it off

HYDERABAD, Pakistan - About 200 Hindu women protested in Pakistan on Tuesday against restrictions on an Islamic charity that India says is a front for a militant group it blames for attacks in Mumbai last month. Muslim Pakistan has a Hindu minority, many of whom are impoverished agricultural workers

Raipur:Naxalite guerillas destroyed a telecom exchange of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and a tower of Reliance Communications (R-Com) in separate attacks in the interior areas of Kanker district. The incident occurred on Saturday night but the authorities could get the information only yesterday night, as the entire communication network collapsed in the area, following the attack.

WASHINGTON: The United States believes that India`s air force began preliminary preparations for a possible attack against Pakistan in the immediate aftermath of the recent massacre in Mumbai, a US news channel reported on Monday

In Cairo, Muzhir Al Khafaji, programming director for the television channel, described Al Zaidi as a "proud Arab and an open-minded man." Al Zaidi had jumped up as Bush was holding a press conference, shouting "It is the farewell kiss, you dog" before throwing the shoes at the US leader. When asked about the incident shortly after, Bush joked: "All I can report is a size 10."

India won the first Test match against England by 6 wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Sachin Tendulkar (103), Virender Sehwag (83) and Yuvraj Singh (85) contributed heavily as India chased down the hefty target of 387 runs with ease. With this win, India surpassed West Indies' 276 at Delhi in 1987-88, the highest ever fourth innings target achieved at any venue in the country. Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh took India close to a win as they were 304 for four in the second innings at tea. The duo stitched together an unbroken 80-run stand for the fifth wicket to put India on the threshold of a memorable win.

Nearly 60 per cent of total production of about 8.90 lakh tonnes was consumed by automobile industry and auxiliary sectors in the country. As the global downturn began to hit Indian auto sector, prices of rubber are bound to fall further, association President N Radhakrishnan told PTI. There was only five to six per cent fall in the intake of rubber till November.

Kabul: US President George W. Bush arrived in Afghanistan early Monday on a surprise farewell visit after his eventful trip to Baghdad where an Iraqi journalist threw shoes at him and called him a "dog". Bush made an unnanounced visit to Iraq Sunday, where he met with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nuori al-Maliki. However, his visit ended in a shameful note when an Iraqi television news reporter threw shoes at him and called him a "dog" in Arabic during a press conference with al-Maliki in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone.

Manila: A passenger vessel with more than 100 people on board capsized in the northern Philippines, killing 22 people, the coast guard said Monday. While 46 people have been rescued, 34 were still missing. The accident took place off Aparri town in the province of Cagayan.

JOHANNESBURG/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congratulations poured for Parvathy Omanakuttan for making "India proud" despite missing the Miss World 2008 crown by a whisker but the lanky Kerala beauty feels she was done in by the jury alleging that its decision to adjudge her only second best was "unfair". "I have performed better than others in the personality and question-answer round. This is not just that. All those who watched it yesterday felt like that. I feel the jury's decision was unfair", Parvathy(21), who was adjudged the first runner up from among 108 contestants at the Miss World pageant in Johannesburg, told Kerala's India Vision channel.

NEW DELHI: There is unusual movement of hundreds of heavy military artillery vehicles in Lahore, a well-known Pakistan newspaper reported on Sunday. The development has caused scare among the masses, it added. The report published in The News International said that "hundreds of medium and heavy artillery vehicles moved from the Lahore Cantonment area to north of Punjab via Motorway as the 11th Corps was moving from Lahore to Tilla Range Jhelum while the 10th Corps moved towards Lahore."