Gaza/Jerusalem, July 10
Israel's air force today intensified its offensive against Hamas targets, killing 25 people, taking the death toll to 76 on the third day of hostilities as Palestinian militants fired 15 rockets into the Jewish state.

Gaza medical officials claimed that half of the total casualties since the Israeli military launched an operation against Hamas militants on Monday were civilians, including women and children, in the deadliest conflict in the region in nearly two years.

Eight Palestinians were killed in an air raid on a house near the southern town of Khan Yunis early today, the Palestinian health ministry said.

There have been no Israeli deaths so far.

In another attack, a cafe in the same area was hit, killing nine people. Three people also died in an Israeli strike on a car in western Gaza City.

An Israeli military spokesman said the deaths at the house in Khan Yunis were "a tragedy - not what we intended", as people had returned to the building too soon following a telephone warning.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said the home was the residence of Odeh Kaware, Hamas' Khan Younis company commander, and served as his headquarters.

Palestinian sources said 25 people were also wounded in the strikes on the house.

Despite the deaths, the Israeli military would continue to bomb the homes of senior Hamas operatives, even though the air force realises that sometimes residents of a targeted building try to prevent the bombings by standing on the roof as human shields, a high-ranking IDF officer was quoted as saying.

"We will take down those houses," he reportedly said.

The Palestinian health ministry said at least 76 people, including, several women and children, have been killed since the Israeli army launched Operation Protective Edge to silence Hamas rocket attacks.

More than 750 targets have been attacked in Gaza with the help of about 800 tonnes of explosives. Roughly 300 rockets, including some with a range of more than a 100 kms, were fired on Israel in the bloodiest fighting in the region since November, 2012. — PTI

Jakarta, July 10
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urged the two candidates in the Wednesday's disputed presidential election to keep their supporters in check during what will be an agonisisng two-week wait for an official result.

Police were on the alert on Thursday across the sprawling archipelago, the world's fourth-most populous nation, after both candidates claimed victory in the tightest election race in the country's history. The Election Commission is due to announce the official result on July 22.

Yudhoyono met Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and former special forces general Prabowo Subianto, separately at his home outside Jakarta late on Wednesday night, telling both to ensure their supporters kept the peace.

"(The president) asks both candidates' sides to show restraint, not to mobilise masses onto the streets to celebrate victory until the verdict of the Election Commission,” Yudhoyono tweeted late on Wednesday.

There were no reports of any major violence across the vast archipelago. Around 250,000 police officers stood on standby, authorities said.

Prabowo has criticised his rival for declaring victory based on quick counts of actual votes by private groups and which have proved accurate in past elections. He countered with his own victory declaration based on other, unnamed, quick counts. Indonesia, Southeast Asia's biggest economy, was swept by violence in which hundreds of people were killed when strongman ruler Suharto was ousted in 1998 after three decades in power. It has since made a slow transition to full democracy, with this only its third direct presidential election. — Reuters

Islamabad, July 10
Unidentified militants killed five paramilitary soldiers today in an attack on a Frontier Corps (FC) post in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province.

Five soldiers were killed in the attack which happened at Duki area of Loralai district, Radio Pakistan reported.

The security forces launched a manhunt after the attack, but so far no arrest had been made, the report said.No one has taken responsibility for the attack but Baloch nationalists often target the security forces in the province. — PTI

Washington, July 10
The US has offered a USD 10 million reward for information leading to the conviction and arrest of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed leader of the "caliphate" on Iraq and Syrian territory.

"Since October 2011 the Rewards for Justice programme has advertised on its web site a reward offer of up to USD 10 million for information leading to the location, arrest, or conviction of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the terrorist organisation Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)," the State Department said.

Militants from the ISIL, which is led by al-Baghdadi, have overrun swathes of territories in northern and western Iraq since early June.

The State Department said al-Baghdadi, also known as Abu Dua, had taken personal credit for a series of terrorist attacks in Iraq since 2011 and claimed credit for the June 2013 operations against the Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad, the March 2013 suicide bombing assault on the Ministry of Justice, among other attacks against Iraqi Security Forces and Iraqi citizens going about their daily lives. — PTI

New York, July 10
A US court has denied a request made by a Sikh rights group to file an amended complaint against Congress party president Sonia Gandhi in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikhs riots case.

Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) had written to US District Judge Brian Cogan requesting "leave to further amend the complaint" against Sonia was denied by the judge who said in his order that since the case against her was dismissed last month, there was no basis for the SFJ to seek further amendment of the complaint.

"Final judgment has been entered in this case and thus there is no basis for further amendment of the pleadings. In addition, even if the case was still open, plaintiff has shown no grounds for permitting an amendment of the pleadings," Cogan said in his order.

Cogan had last month dismissed the human rights violation lawsuit against Sonia, granting her motion that there is lack of subject matter jurisdiction but did not bar SFJ from bringing litigation against her in future.

He had, however, denied a request by Sonia that the court should impose an "anti-suit injunction" prohibiting SFJ from bringing further lawsuits.

SFJ has filed an appeal in the US Court of Appeals against Cogan's order to dismiss the case against Sonia.

Her attorney Ravi Batra expressed confidence that his client will win against SFJ's appeal. —PTI