The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Netanyahu earns slender victory in Israel polls

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu (C) waves to supporters at the party headquarters in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. — AFP

Jerusalem, January 23
Benjamin Netanyahu-led right-wing bloc today narrowly won a hard-fought election in which a political rookie emerged as the kingmaker, forcing the hawkish Israeli Prime Minister to look for new allies outside his battered coalition.

The results announced by the election committee after counting of 99.6 per cent votes showed that the right bloc and centre-left bloc (including Arab parties) were evenly tied at 60 each in the 120-seat Knesset (Israeli parliament), figures that defied all pre-poll forecasts that had predicted a sweeping victory for Netanyahu for the third time.

President Shimon Peres is expected to ask Netanyahu to attempt to form a new government.

His Likud-Beitenu alliance lost a quarter of its seats in parliament, but remains the largest grouping with 31.

Netanyahu, 63, has offered to work with the newly-formed Yesh Atid (There is Future) party led by Yair Lapid, which shocked observers by coming second with 19 seats.

Lapid, a 49-year-old former scribe had joined the political race only last year by forming the Yesh Atid party, which has emerged as the new kingmaker.

He is expected to play an important role in the formation of the next government.

The unexpected results have forced the 63-year-old Netanyahu to scramble for support outside his natural allies which critics feel augurs well for the Middle East peace process that he shunned during his last four years.

Netanyahu called for early elections some three months ago, buoyed by opinion polls and sensing an easy victory but a chain of events during the campaigning period saw him struggling to retain power despite forming a joint list with former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beteinu party.

The joint Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu list was able to secure a mere 31 Knesset seats, a significant drop from the 42 they together had in the previous parliament. — PTI

Death of NAB officer
Separate Bench to take up case
Afzal Khan in Islamabad

NAB chief Fasih Bokhari in front of the Supreme Court in Islamabad on Wednesday. — AP/PTI

Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry has constituted a separate two-member Bench to take up the case pertaining to the death of Kamran Faisal, an officer of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Faisal was investigating the rental power plants (RPP) case in which Pakistani Premier Raja Pervez Ashraf is one of the 16 accused in the multi-billion scam.

His death has rattled the government and triggered countrywide protests.

The court on Wednesday changed a note submitted by the Registrar Office regarding NAB investigator Kamran Faisal’s death into a petition and ordered that another Bench would hear the case separately.

It constituted a two-member Bench which will be headed by Justice Jawad S Khwaja.

During Wednesday’s hearing of the rental power projects (RPP) case on implementation of the court order to arrest all 16 accused including PM Raja, Chief Justice Iftikhar said the court could not overlook Faisal’s death.

Faisal’s father Abdul Hamid and NAB staff have been urging the Chief Justice to take suo moto notice of the case on plea that highly influential people involved in the scam were trying to hush it up.

During the hearing, NAB’s chairman Admiral Fasih Bokhari (retd) retracted his statement over suspending its probe into the RPP scam until an inquiry into Faisal’s death was concluded. He said that the NAB’s investigations into the scam would continue.

The hearing was later adjourned to January 29.

United States rules out Headley’s extradition

Washington, January 23
The United States has ruled out any extradition for the American-born LeT terrorist David Headley in lieu of providing critical information to the US agencies about various other terror outfits.

The Mumbai attack accused also agreed to co-operate with the government, as well as any foreign judicial proceedings held inside US through video conferencing or deposition, Attorney Gary S Shapiro informed a Chicago court.

The attorney ruled out any extradition for the 26/11 accused under a guilty plea that the Pakistani-American had entered into with the US Government and in lieu of the help he extended to the government and the information about various terrorist outfits that he shared with the American investigating agencies.

“As the court knows, Headley’s testimony helped secure a conviction against (Tahawwur) Rana. Further, Headley has agreed to provide truthful testimony in any proceeding in the US if called upon by the United States Attorney’s Office, as well as any foreign judicial proceeding held in the United States by way of deposition, videoconferencing or letters rogatory," Acting United States Attorney Gary S Shapiro told the Chicago Court in a 20-page submission made today. — PTI

India disappointed

New Delhi: India expressed disappointment over the US’ refusal to extradite LeT terrorist David Headley even as it vowed to continue to pursue with its demand for bringing him here for his role in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Sentencing today

Chicago: More than four years after the horrific Mumbai attack claimed 166 lives, Pakistani-American LeT terrorist David Headley (in pic), one of the main conspirators, is set to be sentenced in a court here on Thursday with the US Government seeking a jail term of 30-35 years for him.

Missing Indian student found dead in UK
* Body of 19-yr-old Bangalore boy found in canal
* Family looks for answers

London, January 23
Souvik Pal, an Indian student in Britain who had been missing since New Year’s Eve, was found dead in a canal near Manchester United Club’s football ground and the initial post-mortem test on his body proved inconclusive, the police said today.

Souvik (18) had vanished after being separated from friends while celebrating New Year’s Eve at a nightclub in Manchester city.

Souvik’s body was found by specialist officers in Bridgewater Canal, near Manchester United’s Old Trafford football ground, yesterday.

Souvik had enrolled for product design course at Manchester Metropolitan University. He disappeared on a night out at the Warehouse Project in Trafford, Greater Manchester.

He was last seen at the event around 11pm (local time) and was reported missing by a flatmate the following morning.

Fateful New Year’s Eve

Souvik (pic) had enrolled for a course at Manchester Metropolitan University; worked part-time at Manchester United’s stadium

Vanished while celebrating New Year’s Eve at a nightclub in Manchester city

Victim’s father had flown from Bangalore to help with the search

Body found in Bridgewater Canal, near MU’s ground

Souvik’s father Santanu had flown from his home in Bangalore to help with the search.

Souvik lived in Cavendish halls of residence on Cambridge Street.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said Souvik’s family had been informed and officers were in regular touch with them.

Post-mortem tests on Souvik’s body have proved inconclusive, the police added.

The Greater Manchester Police said further toxicology tests would be carried out to try to establish the cause of death.

The police offered condolences to the family and extended their support.

“Our thoughts and condolences are with Souvik’s family at this devastating time and our officers are doing all they can to support them,” Detective Chief Inspector Colin Larkin said.

“We do not believe there are any suspicious circumstances surrounding Souvik’s death and a file will be submitted to the coroner in due course,” he said.

A number of appeals were made to trace Souvik, including the use of digital advertising hoardings at Manchester United’s domestic Premier League of Football home game against Liverpool.

Souvik had trained for a part-time job serving refreshments at the stadium and worked at Manchester United’s game against West Bromwich Albion on December 29. — PTI

Sikh trader kidnapped in Peshawar
Afzal Khan in Islamabad

A Sikh businessman was kidnapped from Qaidabad, Peshawar, by unidentified armed men, Express Tribune reported on Wednesday. Rakbir Singh, a trader and shopkeeper in Peshawar’s Karkhano Market, was nabbed outside his house by armed men who overpowered him and shoved him into their car. Members of the Sikh community believe Rakbir has been kidnapped for ransom.

“He goes to the temple to offer his prayers and then to his shop according to his daily routine,” said Sahib Singh, a former Sikh council member. “He was kidnapped while returning home.”

Dozens of Sikhs staged a protest rally in front of the Chief Minister House on Wednesday to protest the kidnapping. The Banamarhi police have registered an FIR and started an investigation.

Peshawar is home to about 500 Sikh families who migrated from Khyber Agency and Orakzai Agency after military operation against militants. There were two incidents where Sikhs were brutally killed in these agencies.

EU exit: Cameron promises Britons referendum choice

London, January 23
Prime Minister David Cameron promised on Wednesday to give Britons a referendum choice on whether to stay in the European Union or leave if he wins an election in 2015, placing a question mark over Britain's membership for years.

Cameron ended months of speculation by announcing in a speech the plan for a vote sometime between 2015 and the end of 2017, shrugging off warnings that this could imperil Britain's economic prospects and alienate its biggest trading partner.

He said Britain, a member of the European Economic Community for 40 years, did not want to retreat from the world but that the island nation's public disillusionment with the EU was at "an all-time high".

"It is time for the British people to have their say. It is time for us to settle this question about Britain and Europe," Cameron said. His Conservative party will campaign for the 2015 election promising to renegotiate Britain's EU membership. — Reuters

No easy choice

British leader gives long-delayed speech on Europe

Promises a referendum on UK membership of EU

Cameron says wants new settlement with European Union

Risks upsetting the US and European neighbours

Speech may also widen splits within ruling coalition

Suicide bomber kills 42 at Iraq Shiite mosque

Kirkuk (Iraq), January 23
A suicide bomber made his way into a Shiite mosque north of Baghdad and blew himself up in the middle of a packed funeral today, killing 42 persons and leaving corpses scattered across the floor.

The attack, the deadliest in six months, is likely to heighten tensions as Iraq grapples with a political crisis and more than a month of protests in Sunni-majority areas that have hardened opposition to Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

No group claimed responsibility, but Sunni militants often launch attacks in a bid to destabilise the government and push Iraq back towards the sectarian violence that blighted it from 2005 to 2008.

The bomber struck at the Sayid al-Shuhada mosque in Tuz Khurmatu, 175 km north of Baghdad, and targeted the funeral of a relative of a politician who was shot dead a day earlier. Among those hurt were officials and tribal leaders, including Ali Hashem Oghlu, the deputy chief of the Iraqi Turkman Front and a provincial councillor in Salaheddin. The funeral had been for Oghlu's brother-in-law, who killed in Tuz yesterday. — AFP