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Hosni Mubarak’s retrial to open on April 13
A file photo of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak sitting inside a courtroom in Cairo. — AFP
200 Syrian troops, rebels ‘die’ in police academy battle
A member of the Free Syrian Army inspects a wreckage of a helicopter near Aleppo on Saturday. — Reuters |
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NASA fixing computer glitch on Mars Curiosity rover
Modi’s address at Wharton cancelled
Twin blasts kill 48 in Karachi
30 hurt as quake hits China
‘No power can block Pak-Iran pipeline’
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Hosni Mubarak’s retrial to open on April 13
Cairo, March 3 The Appeals Court set April 13 as the first session of the retrial of Mubarak, his two sons Gamal and Alaa, Adly, his six security aides and fugitive businessman Hussein Salem over involvement in killing peaceful protesters during the revolution. All defendants will stand trial at the 10th circuit of the Cairo Criminal Court under counsellor Moustafa Hassan Abdullah. There have been leaks that Mubarak's attorney has been documenting the cases of killing of protesters during the rule of President Muhammed Mursi to use it as an excuse and snatch a non-guilty verdict for former dictator. On June 2, 2012, Mubarak and Adly were sentenced to life in prison for failing to prevent the deaths of more than 800 protesters during the 18-day uprising that began on January 25, 2011. The rulings had sparked nationwide outrage, with thousands taking to the streets to vent their anger as no one had been directly found guilty of killing the protesters. Business tycoon Salem has been negotiating handing over half of his fortune to the government in return for acquittal.
— PTI
The cases
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200 Syrian troops, rebels ‘die’ in police academy battle
Beirut, March 3 "Rebels have seized most of a police academy in Khan al-Assal in Aleppo province after eight days of fighting that left 200 troops and rebels dead," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Britain-based watchdog added that at least 120 of those killed in the battle for one of the regime's last remaining bastions in the west of Aleppo province were army troops. Rebels killed more than 34 government troops in the facility today. ‘UK wants to arm terrorists’ London: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has accused the British government of wanting to arm "terrorists" in his country, in a rare interview with a UK newspaper. "
— AFP After rebels battled troops for control of the sprawling eight-hectare complex, located 11 km west of Aleppo city, they combed the academy buildings today, said the Observatory. Amateur video shot by Islamist rebels and distributed by the anti-regime Aleppo Media Centre showed a black flag flying over one of the academy buildings, while a large poster showing President Bashar al-Assad had been torn. Another video showed rebels aboard a military vehicle captured from army hands and stashes of ammunition seized from the academy. "This is the police academy, after it has been liberated," said an unidentified cameraman shooting an amateur video in the complex, which could not be immediately authenticated. "I lost my brother and my best friend in this battle," a fighter identified only as Bilal said.
— AFP
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NASA fixing computer glitch on Mars Curiosity rover
Washington, March 3 "We switched computers to get to a standard state from which to begin restoring routine operations," said Richard Cook of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the project manager for the Mars Science Laboratory Project, which built and operates Curiosity. A NASA statement said scientists expect to shift the powered-down computer on Curiosity back to full operation in the coming days. The $ 2.5 billion Curiosity mission, which is set to last at least two years, aims to study the Martian environment and to hunt for evidence of water in preparation for a possible future manned mission.
— AFP
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Modi’s address at Wharton cancelled
Washington, March 3 "We do not endorse any political views and do not support any specific ideology. Our goal as a team is only to stimulate valuable dialogue on India's growth story," the Forum said in a statement today. Modi was invited to deliver the keynote address at the Forum to be held in Philadelphia on March 22-23 via video conference. "As it stands currently, Modi's keynote address at Wharton India Economic Forum has been cancelled," the statement said. The Forum is an annual student-run India-centric conference hosted by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. A group of Wharton's professors and students had written a strongly-worded letter saying they are outraged to learn that the Forum has invited Modi as a keynote speaker. The letter noted, "This is the same politician who was refused a diplomatic visa by the United States State Department on March 18, 2005 on the ground that he, as the CM, did nothing to prevent a series of orchestrated riots that targeted Muslims in Gujarat."
— PTI
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Twin blasts kill 48 in Karachi
Karachi, March 3 The first blast occurred outside an imambargah (Shia prayer hall) in Abbas Town at about 7 pm as people were leaving after prayers. The second explosion went off within 10 minutes, local residents said. Rescue officials said 48 persons were killed in the blasts that caused extensive damage to residential buildings and destroyed several shops in the area. Sindh province Health Secretary Suresh Kumar put the toll at 45. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. Jinnah Hospital alone received 20 bodies and several seriously injured persons. Officials at Patel Hospital said they had received eight bodies and four more people succumbed to injuries in hospital. The toll is expected to increase as some of those injured are critical. "The blasts have caused a crater four-feet deep near the main entrance," Senior Superintendent of Police Mazhar Maswani said. An emergency was declared at hospitals across Karachi and doctors performed emergency surgeries to save victims. Several young children were among the seriously injured, officials said. Police officials said the first blast was caused by explosives hidden in a car that was parked near the entrance of Abbas Town. Residents of Karachi said the explosion was heard from 10 km away. The bomb contained an estimated 150 kg of explosives and was packed with ball bearings, officials said.
— PTI
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30 hurt as quake hits China
Beijing, March 3 The quake hit Eryuan County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture at 1.41 pm. The epicentre was in Xishan Township with a depth of 9 km. Over 55,000 people in Eryuan were affected by the quake, said the Yunnan Provincial Civil Affairs Department. A number of Chinese provinces, specially in the south-western region, have been experiencing moderate quakes in the recent weeks with tremors striking every week one part or the other sparking fears among the local people. The Yunnan Provincial Civil Affairs Department had dispatched 6,000 tents, cotton quilts and coats to the quake-hit area. The China Earthquake Administration and the Yunnan Provincial government have initiated a grade-III emergency response. As many as 34 aftershocks
have been recorded after the quake. — PTI
Once-in-a-decade power transfer begins Beijing: China's new advisory legislative body began its annual session on Sunday commencing the once-in-a-decade power transfer to a new leadership headed by Xi Jinping from the outgoing government led by Hu Jintao.
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‘No power can block Pak-Iran pipeline’
Afzal Khan in Islamabad "Pakistan is a sovereign and independent country that can make its decisions independently," Zardari said in Lahore last night. The pipeline project would be formally launched on March 11 in Iran. Referring to the US objections, he said Pakistan did not want confrontation with anyone but would pursue the policy that serves country's best interests.
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30 hurt as quake hits China Six die as blizzards hit northern Japan Suicide bomber hits Karbala 50 Islamists killed in Mali since Friday 22 Indian fishermen held by Lanka Queen Elizabeth II hospitalised
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Cairo, March 3
Over 200 troops and rebels were killed in an eight-day battle for a police academy in the north Syrian province of Aleppo, as insurgents seized control of most of the complex, a watchdog said today.
