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NATO attack: Pakistan writes to UN

United Nations, November 29
Pakistan has formally communicated to the United Nations its protest and condemnation of the NATO airstrike that killed its 24 soldiers and has strained ties between Washington and Islamabad.

Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Abdullah Hussain Haroon has written a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon informing him of the NATO attack of November 26 "on Pakistan's border posts (that) resulted in the martyrdom of 24 officers and soldiers of the Pakistani army." He further wrote in the letter that 13 personnel were also injured in the attack.

Haroon was in Pakistan for the last few weeks and writing the letter, dated November 27 and marked "most urgent", to the UN Chief is understood to have been among the first things he did after returning to New York.

Haroon has also forwarded to the Secretary-General the statement that was issued in Islamabad by the Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) after it held an emergency meeting, chaired by Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, following the attack on Saturday.

In the statement issued on November 26, the committee had "strongly condemned" the NATO attack and said protests had been lodged with the US and NATO headquarters in Brussels "conveying in the strongest possible terms Pakistan's condemnation of the attack which constituted breach of sovereignity... and had gravely dented the fundamental basis of Pakistan's cooperation with NATO/ISAF against militancy and terror." Through the statement, Haroon communicated to the UN chief the decision by Pakistan to ask the US to vacate the Shamsi Air Base within 15 days and to close two main NATO supply routes to Afghanistan. — PTI

Sensex sheds 98 points on profit-booking

Mumbai, November 29
The BSE benchmark Sensex fell by over 98 points in opening trade today as participants booked profits registered during yesterday's rally in the domestic market.

However, a firming trend on other Asian bourses, in tandem with overnight gains in the US, capped the losses here.

The 30-share barometer, which surged by 471.70 points in the previous session, declined by 98.37 points, or 0.61 per cent, to 16,068.76 in opening trade today.

The wide-based National stock Exchange Nifty index also followed suit, declining by 20.60 points, or 0.42 per cent, to 4,830.70.

Oil and gas, information technology, capital goods and auto stocks led the decline.

Brokers said a fresh bout of selling to cash in on the recovery in the equity market yesterday mainly led to the decline in the benchmark indices this morning. They said mounting opposition to the government's move to permit foreign direct investment (FDI) in the multi-brand retail sector also dampened the trading sentiment to some extent.

Meanwhile, in the Asia region, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was up by 0.39 per cent and Japan's Nikkei by 1.01 per cent in morning trade today. In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 2.59 per cent higher yesterday. — PTI

Jnanpith awardee Indira Goswami dies

Guwahati, November 29
Noted Assamese writer Indira Goswami, who had been a peace broker between the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and New Delhi, died here early Tuesday after prolonged illness. She was 69.

Doctors said she died of multiple organ failure at 7.45 a.m. at the Gauhati Medical College Hospital.

Known by her pen name, Mamoni Raisom Goswami, she had been a teacher at the Department of Modern Indian Languages at Delhi University.

Winner of India's highest literary award Jnanpith, Goswami acted as a peace broker between the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and New Delhi. But she gave it up in 2005.

"Her death has created a void in the literary scene in India," Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said.

The Assam government has decided to accord her a state funeral, which is likely Wednesday.

Her body will be taken from the hospital to her residence, after which it will be kept at a public playground for fans and well wishers to pay their last tributes. --IANS

HC to take up Rajiv killers' petition today

Chennai: The Madras High Court, Tuesday, will take up of hearing the petitions by death row convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case seeking commutation of capital punishment. On August 30, the court had stayed for eight weeks the execution of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan admitting their pleas for commuting their death sentence to life term.

The stay came as a major relief for the three convicts as their execution was then fixed for September 9 after President Pratibha Patil turned down their mercy pleas. The Supreme Court had on September 15 issued notices to the Centre, the Tamil Nadu government and the three convicts on a plea for transferring the case out of Madras High Court.

FDI: Left parties extend support to 'Bharat Bandh'

Patna, November 28
Left parties today decided to extend support to the 'Bharat Bandh' called by Confederation of All India Traders on December 1 to protest the Centre's decision to allow FDI in retail.

CPI leaders U N Mishra and Md Jabbar Alam, CPI(M)'s Sarvodaya Sharma and the RSP's America Mahto and Vakil Thakur flayed the UPA government for going ahead with allowing the FDI in retail bypassing the views of some senior ministers like A K Antony.

The measure would be opposed "tooth and nail" as it poses a serious threat to the livelihood of crores of traders and their families, they said.

The CPI, CPI(M), RSP and AIFB will also hold a nation- wide agitation on November 30 against the Centre's decision on the issue, they said. — PTI