The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Syria votes on new constitution amid unrest Will ensure Assad stays in power till 2028 Activists say 31 civilians and security personnel killed Beirut, February 26 At least 31 Syrian civilians and soldiers were killed today in fighting over Syria's future that coincided with a vote on a new constitution that could keep President Bashar al-Assad in power until 2028. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a military bombardment of opposition districts in Homs, now in its fourth week, had killed nine civilians, while rebel fighters had killed four soldiers in clashes in the city. The British-based Observatory said eight civilians and 10 members of the security forces were killed in violence elsewhere in Syria, scene of what has become an increasingly militarized revolt against four decades of Assad family rule. Voting was under way in the referendum on a new constitution, which Assad says will lead to a multi-party parliamentary election in three months, but his opponents see as a sick joke given Syria's turmoil. "What should we be voting for, whether to die by bombardment or by bullets? This is the only choice we have," said Waleed Fares, an activist in the Khalidiyah district of Homs. "We have been trapped in our houses for 23 days. We cannot go out, except into some alleys. Markets, schools and government buildings are closed, and there is very little movement on the streets because of snipers," he said. He said another besieged and battered district, Baba Amro, had had no food or water for three days. "Homs in general has no electricity for 18 hours a day." With most foreign reporters barred from Syria or heavily restricted, witness reports are hard to verify. The Interior Ministry acknowledged obliquely that security conditions had disrupted voting, saying: "The referendum on a new constitution is taking place in a normal way in most provinces so far, with a large turnout, except in some areas." The Syrian government, backed by Russia, China and Iran, and undeterred by Western and Arab pressure to halt the carnage, says it is fighting foreign-backed "armed terrorist groups". Prime Minister Adel Safar, asked about opposition calls for a boycott, said this showed a lack of interest in dialogue. "There are some groups that have a Western and foreign agenda and do not want reforms in Syria and want to divert Syria's steadfastness," he told reporters in Damascus. "We are not concerned with this. We care about ... spreading democracy and freedom in the country," Safar said. "If there was a genuine desire for reform, there would have been movement from all groups, especially the opposition, to start dialogue immediately with the government to achieve the reforms and implement them on the ground." The military onslaught on parts of Homs has created harrowing conditions for civilians, rebels and journalists. A video posted by activists on YouTube showed Mohammad al-Mohammad, a doctor at a makeshift clinic in Baba Amro, holding a 15-year-old boy hit in the neck by shrapnel and spitting blood. — Reuters
	24 Indian-origin people tried for London riots London, February 26 Twenty-four peersons of India-origin are among the nearly 3,000 suspects being tried for last year’s shocking riots in London and other towns of England, new analysis of data shows, contradicting the belief that Asians had stayed away from the violence. The cases of those arrested are continuing in various courts, but figures released by the Ministry of Justice show that as of February 1, 2012, the number of suspects was 2710, of whom 89 per cent were male. The presence of Indian-origin and other Asians among the suspects contradicts reports at the time that youngsters from the community had stayed away from the disturbances, and only members of the White and Black communities were involved. The riots sparked by the police shooting of black youth Mark Duggan on August 4, 2011 in London led to considerable financial and reputation loss as images of shops and rampaging mobs were beamed live on television across the globe. The figures show that 41 per cent of those brought before the courts identified themselves as being from the White group, 39 per cent from the Black ethnic group, 12 per cent the Mixed ethnic group, six per cent the Asian ethnic group, and two per cent the Chinese or other ethnic group. Of the Asian suspects, there were 24 suspects who identified themselves as ‘British-Indian’, and appeared at first hearings in courts. — PTI
	Gillard, Rudd ballot it out today Sydney, February 26 On the eve of a crucial leadership ballot, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard today said she was “very confident” of a win to end the bitter challenge posed by Kevin Rudd and unite the ruling Labor party for the 2013 General Election. Gillard, who became Australia’s first woman Prime Minister in June 2010 after she ousted Rudd, will face him in a secret ballot for the leadership tomorrow after he dramatically resigned as foreign minister while on a visit to the United States. He announced on Friday that he would challenge Gillard for the leadership post. Soon after Rudd’s surprise resignation on Wednesday, Gillard called a ballot on Monday to end the leadership speculation “once and for all.” Gillard, 50, arrived in Canberra today with her partner Tim Mathieson and said she was “very confident of the strong support of my colleagues.” “I believe Labor, every one of us, will unite after Monday’s ballot. We will unite tomorrow and we will get our shoulders to the wheel delivering Labor’s programme and plans,” Gillard told reporters. “The important thing is that tomorrow’s ballot ends this-there is a result and following that result everyone accepts it and unites and gets on with the job and I am absolutely confident that will happen.” Gillard added she remained “convinced” that Labor could defeat Opposition Leader Tony Abbott at an election in 2013. Meanwhile, Rudd, 54, today maintained he was the party’s best chance of winning the next election, but pledged to support Gillard if he was rejected by caucus. “If Julia Gillard is returned on Monday then she will have my unequivocal support between now and the next election because we have interests way beyond individuals here,” he told Channel Nine. Rudd said reports that he called the Prime Minister a "childless, atheist, former Communist" in Adelaide were wrong. "I don't have any recollection of having said anything of the sort," he said. Rudd said his hand was forced into his dramatic resignation from the foreign affairs portfolio in Washington as Gillard refused to "repudiate" comments made against him by senior ministers. The former prime minister revisited the painful history that saw him deposed in 2010 and said he was given no warning that he was at risk of losing the party's confidence because his colleagues believed he was running a paralysed and chaotic government. — PTI
	ISI chief Pasha may head Pak N-body Islamabad, February 26 The chief of Pakistan’s powerful spy agency ISI, Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, is likely to head the body that controls the country’s nuclear arsenal after the end of his present assignment next month, according to a media report today. Pasha is set to step down as Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief on March 18 as the government has decided against extending him another extension, Dawn News channel quoted its sources as saying. The controversial ISI chief reached the age of retirement in 2010 and has been given two extensions. He is likely to be made the head of the Strategic Plans Division, which controls the nuclear arsenal, the report said. Pasha has served as the Director General of the ISI for three-and-half years. If Pasha is made the head of the Strategic Plans Division, he will replace Lt Gen (retired) Khalid Kidwai, who has led the organisation for over a decade. Sources claimed that Pasha’s possible appointment as head of the Strategic Plans Division will “help the future of Pak-US nuclear and strategic engagement”, the report said. Following Pasha’s alleged role in the scandal over a mysterious memo that had sought US help to prevent a possible military coup in Pakistan, it was reported he would not be given another extension, Dawn News reported. The government is keeping mum on the issue of Pasha’s future for now. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will take a final decision after a one-on-one meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari, the channel quoted its sources as saying. The report further said that the government might appoint a non-military official or a retired military officer as the new chief of the ISI. — PTI
	Three killed as bomber rams car into Nigerian church Abuja, February 26 A suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into a packed church during Sunday service, killing three persons and injuring dozens in central Nigeria’s Jos city that has been the centre of a sectarian and ethnic violence. Eyewitnesses said the bomber who drove into the building of Church of Christ during an early morning service killed a man and his child and another woman going to the church. Some witnesses claimed the bomber was dressed in an army uniform. National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) spokesman told PTI more than 38 others were wounded in the attack. He said the woman killed must have been run over by the speeding suicide bomber. “We have taken all the wounded persons to the hospital for treatment,” the spokesman man. No group has claimed responsibility but the action bears the signature of the radical Islamist sect Boko Haram which has been carrying out such suicide attacks in the oil rich African country since 2006. The group’s aims to overthrow the democratic government of the country and install an Islamic state and the rule of Sharia. Meanwhile, agitated youths went on a rampage and smashed windscreens of cars. Jos is the capital of Plateau state which has witnessed series of ethnic and sectarian fighting between Hausa-Fulani and Berom in recent times. The former are regarded as settlers by the later and this has been a reason for constant dispute. — PTI
	Media mogul hits back with Sun on Sunday London, February 26 Mired in litigation and embarrassment, media baron Rupert Murdoch today hit back at his critics by launching the Sunday edition of the mass circulation The Sun tabloid with a promise not to repeat the mistakes of the phone-hacking scandal. Murdoch bought The Sun in 1969, and since then the tabloid was published six days a week. After closing the News of the World in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal, Murdoch is now seeking to reclaim the readership with the Sunday edition of The Sun. Murdoch, who arrived here last week to deal with new developments related to the phone-hacking inquiries, oversaw the printing of the first Sunday edition of The Sun last night in Broxbourne, Hertfortdshire. Using his time-tested formula of price cuts challenging rivals, Murdoch priced the Sunday edition at 50 pence, prompting the Daily Star Sunday to reduce its price from 1 pound to 50 pence. The Sunday Mirror, however, did not reduce its price of 1 pound. The Sunday edition of The Sun looks no different from its weekday avatars, and its contents too were not any different. Critics and readers already found it wanting when compared with the quality of the now closed News of the World. But the new edition is still considered an achievement for Murdoch given that only last week, some of The Sun’s journalists were arrested and his company continues to be embroiled in costly settlement claims and daily revelations that continue to chip away at its reputation. In an editorial titled ‘A new Sun rises today’, the tabloid referred to the phone-hacking scandal, promised not to repeat mistakes of the past, and claimed that “in some ways it marks a fresh beginning”. — PTI
	Mandela doing well after laparoscopy Johannesburg, February 26 South Africa’s much-loved leader Nelson Mandela underwent a diagnostic surgery but is “fine and fully conscious” and might very well go home tomorrow, officials said today allaying concerns over the 93-year-old anti-apartheid icon’s health. The former president’s health has witnessed a decline in recent years, and any development on this front is keenly followed in the country and across the world. Mandela was yesterday admitted to a hospital where he underwent a laparoscopy for a longstanding abdomen related ailment. Informing about the procedure that involves inserting a tiny camera through the abdomen to perform an internal examination, Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said the elderly statesman was “as fine as can be at his age”. Sisulu denied reports that Mandela had been operated for hernia but said he had been suffering from “ongoing discomfort” on a regular basis. — PTI
	72-year-old from Nepal is world’s shortest Kathmandu, February 26 A 72-year-old Nepali man today entered the Guinness book of World Records as the shortest adult ever, standing at 54.6 cm, just the size of a toddler. The Guinness World Records (GWR) recognised Chandra Bahadur Dangi, who measures 54.6 cm, as the world’s shortest adult ever measured. After carrying out measurements here in Kathmandu, a team of GWR led by its Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday confirmed Dangi, who claims to be 72-year-old and hails from Dang of western Nepal, as the world’s shortest man, and crowned him the title. Dangi, who weighs 12 kg, was brought to the attention of the world only three weeks ago after Nepali researchers looking into the history of the Dangi people were introduced to him. “It feels very good, I’m very happy,” Dangi told reporters adding that “I will work on promoting my country all over the world.” Junrey Balawing of the Philippines, who measures 59.9 cm held the record for world’s shortest man till now. Dangi is 5.3 cm shorter than Balawing, who was crowned world’s shortest man on his 18th birthday last June. The Filipino had taken over the title from Nepal’s Khagendra Thapa Magar, who measures 67 cm.— PTI
	Delhi Car Blast Israel: India has evidence of Iran involvement Jerusalem, February 26 Indian intelligence agencies have "considerable evidence" of Iran's involvement in the February 13 attack on an Israeli diplomat but are not releasing it in a bid to avoid public confrontation with Tehran, a top Israeli security official has claimed. The senior Israeli official told daily Ha'aretz that the Indians are "close to fully solving the case but they are not saying so publicly". However, Indians have not "concealed the information in their possession" in quiet contacts with Israel and the US, the unidentified senior official was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, reacting to the report, the Israeli ambassador in New Delhi, Alon Ushpiz, said he was "not aware" of the details outlined in this article but expressed "full confidence" in the Indian agencies probing the incident. "We are grateful for their assistance and appreciative of our cooperation. We have no doubt that justice will be done," he said. — PTI