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 Ex-Army chief to run for Lankan presidential poll |
| Sarath Fonseka, the former Sri Lankan Army chief credited for the annihilation of the LTTE, on Sunday announced his candidature for the presidential poll challenging incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa in a keen electoral battle that will see the two ‘war heroes’ locking horns. |
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| Will have close ties with India: Fonseka |
| Sri Lanka’s former Army chief and Opposition candidate for the upcoming presidential election, General (retd) Sarath Fonseka said here on Sunday that he was looking forward to close ties with India. “I have always maintained a close friendship with India as a military officer”, Fonseka told reporters while launching his presidential bid. |
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| India, Canada agree on historic N-deal |
| India and Canada have agreed on a civil nuclear deal that will enable New Delhi to access Canadian nuclear technology and uranium after a gap of 34 years. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the development ‘augurs extremely well’ for the ties between the nations. |
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| India, Pak Ministers avoid meeting; relations strain |
| In a reflection of further chill in Indo-Pak relations, Foreign Ministers of the two countries avoided a meeting even though they were at the same venue here for the last three days to attend the Commonwealth Summit. |
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| Osama was within US forces’ grasp in Dec 2001: Senate report |
| A new US Senate report has concluded that Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden could have been captured in December 2001 if not for the American military leadership’s refusal to deploy massive power for the pursuit during that critical phase. |
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| Lakhvi’s indictment to be challenged in Lahore HC |
| The indictment of LeT leader Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six other suspects by a Pakistani anti-terror court for planning and helping execute the Mumbai attacks will be challenged in the Lahore High Court as authorities have no solid evidence against them, the militant commander’s lawyer said on Sunday. |
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| ‘Uninvited Salahis demand mid-six figure payment for their story’ |
| An American couple, who gatecrashed into a State Dinner President Barack Obama hosted for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the White House, were now trying to peddel their story for hundreds of thousands of dollars to television networks. The Virginia socialites and aspiring reality TV stars, Michaele and Tareq Salahi, who came face to face with Obama as well as Singh on Tuesday, remained elusive, The Washington Post reported on Sunday. |
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| Saudi floods claim 103 lives, 1,400 rescued |
| Saudi emergency services said on Sunday the death toll from floods that tore through the port city of Jeddah this week had risen to 103, with another 1,400 rescued, the state news agency reported on Sunday. Torrents of water inundated the Red Sea port on Wednesday after Saudi Arabia saw some of the heaviest rainfall in years. Many of the victims were drowned or were killed by collapsing bridges and in car crashes. |
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| US is enemy of Jews: Likud party members |
| Members of ruling right wing Likud party in Israel have described the US as ‘enemy of Jews’ as it rapped Prime Minister Benjamin Netantyahu for agreeing to a ten-month moratorium on construction activities in the West Bank under pressure from Obama Administration. |
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| 58 die as Bangladesh ferry capsises |
| A rescue ship righted a capsized ferry on Sunday, easing the work of those searching the submerged cabins for scores believed trapped inside more than a day after the boat sank in southern Bangladesh. So far, 58 people have been confirmed dead, authorities said. |
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| Honduras hopes to move past coup with poll |
| A new Honduran President chosen on Sunday faces the challenge of defending his legitimacy to the world and to his own people, who are bitterly divided by Central America’s first coup in more than 20 years. |
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| Iran warns of decreasing cooperation with IAEA |
| Parliament speaker Ali Larijani warned world powers on Sunday that Tehran could ‘seriously decrease’ its cooperation with the UN atomic watchdog after it demanded Iran halt work on a second nuclear plant. Larijani told the conservative-dominated Parliament that Washington and other members of the P5-plus-1 group, who are in talks with Tehran over its nuclear programme, must change their approach towards Iran. |
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| Earmarks $20 million to support militants |
| Iranian State radio says the country’s Parliament has approved a Bill earmarking $20 million to support militant groups opposing the West. It was not immediately clear which groups would receive funding from Iran, but Tehran already backs the Islamic militants Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The report says the money will also be used to investigate alleged US and British human rights abuses and plots against Iran. |
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| Globetrotting |
| Mariah Carey plans baby in New Year |