Egypt's Mursi faces judicial revolt over decree

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi faced a rebellion from judges who accused him on Saturday of expanding his powers at their expense, deepening a crisis that has triggered violence in the street and exposed the country's deep divisions.

The Judges' Club, a body representing judges across Egypt, called for a strike during a meeting interrupted with chants demanding the "downfall of the regime" - the rallying cry in the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak last year.

Mursi's political opponents and supporters, representing the divide between newly empowered Islamists and their critics, called for rival demonstrations on Tuesday over a decree that has triggered concern in the West.

Issued late on Thursday, it marks an effort by Mursi to consolidate his influence after he successfully sidelined Mubarak-era generals in August. The decree defends from judicial review decisions taken by Mursi until a new parliament is elected in a vote expected early next year.

It also shields the Islamist-dominated assembly writing Egypt's new constitution from a raft of legal challenges that have threatened the body with dissolution, and offers the same protection to the Islamist-controlled upper house of parliament.

Egypt's highest judicial authority, the Supreme Judicial Council, said the decree was an "unprecedented attack" on the independence of the judiciary. The Judges' Club, meeting in Cairo, called on Mursi to rescind it.

That demand was echoed by prominent opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei. "There is no room for dialogue when a dictator imposes the most oppressive, abhorrent measures and then says 'let us split the difference'," he said.

"I am waiting to see, I hope soon, a very strong statement of condemnation by the U.S., by Europe and by everybody who really cares about human dignity," he said in an interview with Reuters and the Associated Press.

More than 300 people were injured on Friday as protests against the decree turned violent. There were attacks on at least three offices belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, the movement that propelled Mursi to power.

POLARISATION

Liberal, leftist and socialist parties called a big protest for Tuesday to force Mursi to row back on a move they say has exposed the autocratic impulses of a man once jailed by Mubarak.

In a sign of the polarization in the country, the Muslim Brotherhood called its own protests that day to support the president's decree.

Mursi also assigned himself new authority to sack the prosecutor general, who was appointed during the Mubarak era, and appoint a new one. The dismissed prosecutor general, Abdel Maguid Mahmoud, was given a hero's welcome at the Judges' Club.

In open defiance of Mursi, Ahmed al-Zind, head of the club, introduced Mahmoud by his old title.

The Mursi administration has defended the decree on the grounds that it aims to speed up a protracted transition from Mubarak's rule to a new system of democratic government.

Analysts say it reflects the Brotherhood's suspicion towards sections of a judiciary unreformed from Mubarak's days.

"It aims to sideline Mursi's enemies in the judiciary and ultimately to impose and head off any legal challenges to the constitution," said Elijah Zarwan, a fellow with The European Council on Foreign Relations.

"We are in a situation now where both sides are escalating and its getting harder and harder to see how either side can gracefully climb down."

ADVISOR TO MURSI QUITS

Following a day of violence in Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said and Suez, the smell of tear gas hung over the capital's Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the uprising that toppled Mubarak in 2011 and the stage for more protests on Friday.

Youths clashed sporadically with police near the square, where activists camped out for a second day on Saturday, setting up makeshift barricades to keep out traffic.

Al-Masry Al-Youm, one of Egypt's most widely read dailies, hailed Friday's protest as "The November 23 Intifada", invoking the Arabic word for uprising.

But the ultra-orthodox Salafi Islamist groups that have been pushing for tighter application of Islamic law in the new constitution have rallied behind Mursi's decree.

The Nour Party, one such group, stated its support for the Mursi decree. Al-Gama'a al-Islamiya, which carried arms against the state in the 1990s, said it would save the revolution from what it described as remnants of the Mubarak regime.

Samir Morkos, a Christian assistant to Mursi, had told the president he wanted to resign, said Yasser Ali, Mursi's spokesman. Speaking to the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Morkos said: "I refuse to continue in the shadow of republican decisions that obstruct the democratic transition".

Mursi's decree has been criticized by Western states that earlier this week were full of praise for his role in mediating an end to the eight-day war between Israel and Palestinians.

"The decisions and declarations announced on November 22 raise concerns for many Egyptians and for the international community," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

The European Union urged Mursi to respect the democratic process.

(Additional reporting by Omar Fahmy, Marwa Awad, Edmund Blair and Shaimaa Fayed and Reuters TV; Editing by Jon Hemming)

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Football: Arsenal frustrated in Villa Park stalemate

BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom: Arsenal were left to rue poor finishing after their Premier League encounter with Aston Villa ended in a frustrating 0-0 draw on Saturday.

Arsene Wenger's side created plenty of chances at Villa Park but were unable to strike the decisive blow, with Wales international Aaron Ramsey particularly guilty of wastefulness in front of goal.

Villa substitute Brett Holman went closest for the home side with a shot that rattled the crossbar from distance, but the point was still enough for Paul Lambert's side to climb out of the relegation zone.

Arsenal, meanwhile, remain sixth, a point below fifth-place Everton and four points outside the Champions League qualifying places.

The visitors made three changes from their mid-week game against Montpellier as Thomas Vermaelen, Jack Wilshere and Bacary Sagna were dropped to the bench in favour of Kieran Gibbs, Carl Jenkinson and Ramsey.

Aston Villa coach Lambert made one change from the side that lost 5-0 to Manchester City last weekend, with Karim El Ahmadi replacing Stephen Ireland in midfield.

Villa carved out an opportunity in the 13th minute when Ashley Westwood's cross-field pass picked out Andreas Weimann and the Austria international saw his shot from a tight angle beaten away at the near post by Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

Moments later, Villa forward Christian Benteke laid the ball into Barry Bannan but his ambitious 30-yard shot was comfortably gathered by Szczesny.

Arsenal started to find their rhythm as the first half wore on and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain threatened when he cut in from the right flank in the 21st minute, only to drag his shot wide.

The Gunners opened up the home side's defence again seven minutes later and Ramsey's low angled shot through a crowd of bodies forced Brad Guzan to make a smart diving save in the Villa goal.

Villa had the ball in the net in the 28th minute when a Bannan free-kick caused a scramble inside the penalty area and Weimann squeezed the ball home, but the assistant referee had already raised his flag for offside.

Arsenal missed a golden chance to break the deadlock shortly before half-time when Laurent Koscielny lifted a shot over the crossbar from close range after he had been picked out by Olivier Giroud.

The visitors began the second half brightly and the lively Santi Cazorla curled a shot round the post just after the break following a swift counter-attack.

Villa were dealt a blow in the 50th minute when captain Ron Vlaar limped out through injury and was replaced by Eric Lichaj, with Matthew Lowton shifting to centre-back.

Ramsey failed to capitalise on a teasing cross into the six-yard area from Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 55th minute and then lifted a shot over the bar from close range seven minutes later when the ball fell to him from a corner.

Gabriel Agbonlahor teed up substitute Holman in a Villa counter-attack shortly afterwards but his low, stinging shot from 12 yards was saved by Szczesny.

The Polish goalkeeper then produced a stunning full-stretch save to touch Holman's brilliant long-range effort onto the bar.

Ciaran Clark's last-ditch interception denied Gervinho at the back post as the Arsenal forward attempted to get on the end of a cross from fellow substitute Andrey Arshavin late on, but Villa held on to claim a point.

-AFP/ac

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Yeddyurrappa to quit BJP on December 5, launch own outfit four days later

NEW DELHI: Former Karnataka CM and Lingayat strongman B S Yeddyurrappa, a formidable Lingayat leader from the state, is all set to break away from BJP and launch his new party, Karnataka Janata Party (KJP), on December 9, in what will mark a big setback to BJP's plan for the 2014 polls.

Yeddyurrappa with his strong pull among the dominant Lingayats has been widely credited for the installation of the first BJP-led government in the southern state, and his exit may leave the party reeling while potentially creating opening for opponents.

The KJP will enter the fray with the avowed objective of humiliating the party and is open to the idea of tactical alliances with other players — Congress and former PM H D Deve Gowda's JD(S) — to humiliate his arch-enemy, the BJP.

Yeddyurrappa plans to quit the BJP on December 5 — the day the state assembly session begins — but he does not intend to withdraw support to the BJP government, leaving it for the latter to punish his supporters at the cost of the survival of the Jagdish Shettar government.

All 45 MLAs, 10 MLCs, nine ministers and two others (also ministers), who are considered fence-sitters, attended a dinner Yeddyurrappa recently hosted.

Yeddyurrappa's supporters plan to leverage their membership of the ruling BJP for KJP's advantage. "It is better that they remain ministers till this government is in office and do some work for the people that will help them and the new party in future when they cross over at the right time," said a Yeddyurrappa loyalist who is all set to join the KJP.

Yeddyurrappa was offered the post of the state party president as late as last week, but has refused to go back on his plans to launch his own outfit.

The former CM has been at war with BJP ever since he was removed from the post of CM following charges of corruption against him.

Yeddyurrappa has applied for "bicycle" as a symbol for his new party, and has planned to contest all the 224 assembly seats in the state in next year's assembly election.

KJP recognizes that it cannot win a majority on its own. However, it aspires to emerge as a kingmaker on the basis of its hold among Lingayats. In fact, the optimists among Yeddyurrappa's supporters hope to bag at least 80 of a total of 224 seats, and to restrict Congress's tally to under 100 seats. The resultant "hung house-scenario" will help the KJP play the tie-breaker on its own terms seems to be the tactic.

Both JD(S) and KJP will try to tie up with B Sriramalu's BSR party, which is considered to have a good hold in about 10 seats in Karnataka.

The KJP has already charted out it strongholds and the weak areas for the party in the state. KJP considers Hyderabad-Karnataka and Bombay-Karnataka regions in the state as it strongest area with a good Lingayat population and hopes to pick up about 60 seats from there. With Karnataka broadly divided into four regions — coastal Karnataka, which is now held by BJP, will be difficult terrain for KJP, and South Karnataka that includes Bangalore, Mysore etc are also out of bounds for the Lingayat leader.

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AP PHOTOS: Simple surgery heals blind Indonesians

PADANG SIDEMPUAN, Indonesia (AP) — They came from the remotest parts of Indonesia, taking crowded overnight ferries and riding for hours in cars or buses — all in the hope that a simple, and free, surgical procedure would restore their eyesight.

Many patients were elderly and needed help to reach two hospitals in Sumatra where mass eye camps were held earlier this month by Nepalese surgeon Dr. Sanduk Ruit. During eight days, more than 1,400 cataracts were removed.

The patients camped out, sleeping side-by-side on military cots, eating donated food while fire trucks supplied water for showers and toilets. Many who had given up hope of seeing again left smiling after their bandages were removed.

"I've been blind for three years, and it's really bad," said Arlita Tobing, 65, whose sight was restored after the surgery. "I worked on someone's farm, but I couldn't work anymore."

Indonesia has one of the highest rates of blindness in the world, making it a target country for Ruit who travels throughout the developing world holding free mass eye camps while training doctors to perform the simple, stitch-free procedure he pioneered. He often visits hard-to-reach remote areas where health care is scarce and patients are poor. He believes that by teaching doctors how to perform his method of cataract removal, the rate of blindness can be reduced worldwide.

Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness globally, affecting about 20 million people who mostly live in poor countries, according to the World Health Organization.

"We get only one life, and that life is very short. I am blessed by God to have this opportunity," said Ruit, who runs the Tilganga Eye Center in Katmandu, Nepal. "The most important of that is training, taking the idea to other people."

During the recent camps, Ruit trained six doctors from Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore.

Here, in images, are scenes from the mobile eye camps:

Read More..

'Honey Trap' Professor Convicted of Drug Smuggling

A court in Argentina has convicted an Oxford educated University of North Carolina professor of attempting to smuggle four pounds of cocaine into the United States.

Paul Frampton, a 68-year-old esteemed professor of physics and astronomy, says he thought he was flying to South America to meet with a bikini model but ended up getting caught in what they call a "honey trap."

Frampton flew to Bolivia from North Carolina earlier this year after communicating with someone who claimed to be Denise Milani, winner of Miss Bikini World 2007. She never showed up.

Instead, Frampton says he was met by a man who gave him a suitcase, identifying himself as an intermediary for Milani, and instructing him to take it to her in Argentina.

PHOTOS: Sex, Spies and Scandal

Once there, he says he could not find her and decided to board a plane home, with that suitcase in hand. Police opened it up at the airport and found more than four pounds of cocaine inside.

"He has a high IQ, is well-known and very distinguished in the field of physics and other scientific areas, but when it comes to common sense he scored a zero," said former DC homicide investigator Rod Wheeler.

The Argentinean court sentenced Frampton to serve four years and eight months in custody after prosecutors there presented evidence of text messages they say Frampton sent to the person he thought was the model, saying, "I'm worried about the sniffer dogs," and "I'm looking after your special little suitcase."

READ: UNC Professor Held in Argentina on Drug Charges Wants Raise From University

The University of North Carolina has cut off Frampton's salary in a move that prompted dozens of his colleagues at the university to sign a letter of protest to administrators.

"As more information about his case becomes available ... it becomes more and more obvious that Paul was the innocent, although very gullible, victim of a scam," the joint letter said.

Many wrote separate letters of reference on a website they created to support the embattled professor, who is hoping to serve his time under house arrest in Argentina at a friend's apartment.

From prison Frampton has said, "It does seem unfair that an innocent scam victim is treated as a professional drug smuggler."

Frampton's Argentinean lawyer told ABC News she would have no comment until having a chance to review the judge's complete ruling, which she expects to be released early next week.

However, it appears this is not the first time Frampton has been in hot water over a woman.

The Telegraph, a London based paper that serves Great Britain , reported that friends say he once met another woman online and flew to China to marry her. This time, the woman was real, but after seeing Frampton, she reportedly canceled the wedding.

If you have a story you would like told you can email correspondent Mark Greenblatt at mark.p.greenblatt@abc.com.

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Protests after "pharaoh" Mursi assumes powers in Egypt

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi's decision to assume sweeping powers caused fury amongst his opponents and prompted violent clashes in central Cairo and other cities on Friday.

Police fired tear gas near Cairo's Tahrir Square, heart of the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, where thousands demanded Mursi quit and accused him of launching a "coup". There were violent protests in Alexandria, Port Said and Suez.

Opponents accused Mursi, who has issued a decree that puts his decisions above legal challenge until a new parliament is elected, of being the new Mubarak and hijacking the revolution.

"The people want to bring down the regime," shouted protesters in Tahrir, echoing a chant used in the uprising that forced Mubarak to step down. "Get out, Mursi," they chanted, along with "Mubarak tell Mursi, jail comes after the throne."

The United States, the European Union and the United Nations expressed concern at Mursi's move.

Mursi's aides said the presidential decree was intended to speed up a protracted transition that has been hindered by legal obstacles but Mursi's rivals condemned him as an autocratic pharaoh who wanted to impose his Islamist vision on Egypt.

"I am for all Egyptians. I will not be biased against any son of Egypt," Mursi said on a stage outside the presidential palace, adding that he was working for social and economic stability and the rotation of power.

"Opposition in Egypt does not worry me, but it has to be real and strong," he said, seeking to placate his critics and telling Egyptians that he was committed to the revolution. "Go forward, always forward ... to a new Egypt."

Buoyed by accolades from around the world for mediating a truce between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip, Mursi on Thursday ordered that an Islamist-dominated assembly writing the new constitution could not be dissolved by legal challenges.

"Mursi a 'temporary' dictator," was the headline in the independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm.

Mursi, an Islamist whose roots are in the Muslim Brotherhood, also gave himself wide powers that allowed him to sack the unpopular general prosecutor and opened the door for a retrial for Mubarak and his aides.

The president's decree aimed to end the logjam and push Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, more quickly along its democratic path, the presidential spokesman said.

"President Mursi said we must go out of the bottleneck without breaking the bottle," Yasser Ali told Reuters.

TURBULENCE AND TURMOIL

The president's decree said any decrees he issued while no parliament sat could not be challenged, moves that consolidated his power but look set to polarize Egypt further, threatening more turbulence in a nation at the heart of the Arab Spring.

The turmoil has weighed heavily on Egypt's faltering economy that was thrown a lifeline this week when a preliminary deal was reached with the International Monetary Fund for a $4.8 billion loan. But it also means unpopular economic measures.

In Alexandria, north of Cairo, protesters ransacked an office of the Brotherhood's political party, burning books and chairs in the street. Supporters of Mursi and opponents clashed elsewhere in the city, leaving 12 injured.

A party building was also attacked by stone-throwing protesters in Port Said, and demonstrators in Suez threw petrol bombs that burned banners outside the party building.

Although Washington praised Egypt for its part in bringing Israelis and Palestinians to a ceasefire on Wednesday, it expressed concern about Mursi's move.

"The decisions and declarations announced on November 22 raise concerns for many Egyptians and for the international community," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement.

The United States has been concerned about the fate of what was once a close ally under Mubarak, who preserved Egypt's 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

The European Union urged Mursi to respect the democratic process, while the United Nations expressed fears about human rights.

"We are very concerned about the possible huge ramifications of this declaration on human rights and the rule of law in Egypt," Rupert Colville, spokesman for the U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay, said at the United Nations in Geneva.

"ANOTHER DICTATOR"

"The decree is basically a coup on state institutions and the rule of law that is likely to undermine the revolution and the transition to democracy," said Mervat Ahmed, an independent activist in Tahrir protesting against the decree. "I worry Mursi will be another dictator like the one before him."

Leading liberal Mohamed ElBaradei, who joined other politicians on Thursday night to demand the decree was withdrawn, wrote on his Twitter account that Mursi had "usurped all state powers and appointed himself Egypt's new pharaoh".

Almost two years after Mubarak was toppled and about five months since Mursi took office, propelled to the post by the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt has no permanent constitution, which must be in place before new parliamentary elections are held.

The last parliament, which sat for the first time earlier this year, was dissolved after a court declared it void. It was dominated by the Brotherhood's political party.

An assembly drawing up the constitution has yet to complete its work. Many liberals, Christians and others have walked out accusing the Islamists who dominate it of ignoring their voices over the extent that Islam should be enshrined in the new state.

Opponents call for the assembly to be scrapped and remade. Mursi's decree protects the existing one and extends the deadline for drafting a document by two months, pushing it back to February, further delaying a new parliamentary election.

Explaining the rationale behind the moves, the presidential spokesman said: "This means ending the period of constitutional instability to arrive at a state with a written constitution, an elected president and parliament."

"THIS IS NOT THE REMEDY"

Analyst Seif El Din Abdel Fatah said the decree targeted the judiciary which had reversed, for example, an earlier Mursi decision to remove the prosecutor.

Mursi, who is now protected by his new decree from judicial reversals, said the judiciary contained honorable men but said he would uncover corrupt elements. He also said he would ensure independence for the judicial, executive and legislative powers.

Although many of Mursi's opponents also opposed the sacked prosecutor, whom they blamed for shortcomings in prosecuting Mubarak and his aides, and also want judicial reform, they say a draconian presidential decree was not the way to do it.

"There was a disease but this is not the remedy," said Hassan Nafaa, a liberal-minded political science professor and activist at Cairo University.

(Additional reporting by Tom Miles in Geneva and Sebastian Moffett in Brussels; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Peter Millership and Giles Elgood)

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Britain's Cameron wins new allies in EU budget battle

BRUSSELS: British Prime Minister David Cameron has ended his European isolation, for the time being at least, after Germany and other nations backed his call for cuts to the troubled EU budget.

Nearly a year ago Cameron was the outcast of Europe, finding himself shunned by angry counterparts when he vetoed a crucial fiscal pact that was aimed at tackling the crisis in the eurozone.

But this time there were few of the same recriminations and Cameron named Germany, Sweden, The Netherlands, Finland and Denmark as having backed his position.

By marshalling an austerity-supporting "northern European" bloc he will also please eurosceptics in his party back home who are threatening to rebel if he does not loosen Britain's ties with the EU.

"This was not Britain as some sort of lone actor," Cameron told a press conference.

"At this council a lot of people said, 'Well, Britain will just be isolated and standing alone in standing up for a better deal.' But we had strong allies."

Cameron engaged in frantic pre-summit diplomacy to win allies, meeting twice with Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel and once with French President Francois Hollande during the two-day Brussels summit.

But a clearly frustrated Cameron still had choice words for the EU, saying the budget deal it offered was "just not good enough", and insisting there should be cuts to the perks, pay and pensions of "eurocrats".

"Brussels continues to exist as if it is in a parallel universe," Cameron said.

"Last night the Commission didn't offer a single euro in savings, not one euro, and I just don't think that is good enough."

A British source criticised a lack of preparation by EU President Herman Van Rompuy for the summit, saying it made negotiations more difficult.

Cameron did not escape unscathed from criticism on Friday.

Italian premier Mario Monti blamed him for the breakdown of the budget talks and accused him of "demagoguery".

Hollande meanwhile said the British premier had come to the summit with a "set priority" to protect Britain's cherished EU rebate.

Britain has claimed that right since then prime minister Margaret Thatcher obtained one in 1984 on the grounds that London was paying too much into the bloc's coffers.

But Cameron's diplomatic efforts appeared to bear fruit with overt support from Sweden and The Netherlands.

A British official said the German chancellor was "sympathetic" towards their position. Reports of an "axis" between London and Berlin quickly led to Cameron and Merkel being dubbed "Merkeron" or "Camerkel".

Meanwhile an EU source said that while the rest of the bloc appeared unwilling to move towards the British position, it would not be sensible to send any country home to face voters without any concessions.

At home, Cameron is walking a political tightrope on the European issue.

He leads a fragile coalition government with the pro-Europe Liberal Democrats and faces elections in 2015 during which he will try to win a majority, for which he will need the "eurosceptic" wing of his Conservative party on-side.

The eurosceptics subjected Cameron to a humiliating parliamentary defeat on the budget issue last month and they have public opinion behind them, with many Britons seeing the EU as a meddling gravy train.

Europe has been a toxic issue for the party for decades, having helped to bring down Thatcher and hobbling her successor John Major.

But Cameron must also avoid burning all his bridges in Europe ahead of a summit in December focusing on banking, where he will be trying to protect London's vital financial services industry.

For all the talk of a possible "Brixit" from the EU, Europe remains by far Britain's largest trading partner, while Britain is the EU's third largest economy.

British commentators said Cameron had "played a blinder" for now.

"Game, set and match to David Cameron," John Rentoul, a political commentator for The Independent on Sunday newspaper, wrote on Twitter.

But the issue will not go away, and Cameron is expected to set out before Christmas his plans to reclaim powers from Europe and then put those measures to a vote.

"I support our membership of the EU, but I don't support the status quo. I believe we need a new settlement," he said.

-AFP/ac

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No question of putting CBI chief's appointment on hold: PM Manmohan Singh

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh emphatically rejected the BJP's demand that the appointment of Ranjit Sinha as the next CBI chief be put on hold, saying the "question of keeping the new appointment in abeyance does not arise".

Singh also dismissed the BJP's allegation that the appointment was made to preempt the procedure recommended by the select committee looking into the Lokpal bill, saying the charge was "wholly unwarranted and devoid of any merit".

"I also refute the suggestion that the appointments to this post in the past by the UPA government were motivated by collateral considerations," the PM said in his reply to leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley. Earlier on Friday, Jaitley and his counterpart in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj had written to the PM asking that the appointment be put on hold.

Singh argued that the CBI director was retiring on November 30 and the premier investigating agency could not be left headless till the time the new system was put in place. "Under the circumstances, the government has, in public interest, made the appointment in accordance with the provisions of the CVC Act as presently applicable and the extant procedures, which had been set in motion much earlier," he said.

The PM was reacting to the BJP's demand that the new CBI director should be appointed by a collegium comprising the PM, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and Chief Justice of India as recommended by the select committee.

Earlier in the day, minister of state for personnel V Narayanasamy strongly defended the government's decision, saying the selection of the CBI chief was done "in a fair manner following the due process".

He said Sinha was the senior-most officer among the three names suggested by the central vigilance commissioner and the prime minister decided his name. "The prime minister in his wisdom considered Ranjit Sinha who is the senior-most officer. The prime minister decided the name of Sinha in a fair manner following the due process in which CVC recommended three names. Where is the question of unfairness in this," he added.

"May be they (select committee) have proposed a new mechanism. That's not part of the law today. There is no Act in Parliament today. There is no notification of an Act today. The government must function in accordance with the law as it exists. And that's how we move forward," Narayanasamy said.

Echoing Narayanasamy's comments, telecom minister Kapil Sibal said, "The government decision-making cannot stop just because there is some legislation awaited... This means, the logic would be any standing committee report which has to be translated into a legislation, such time the translation takes, there should be no decision of the government. I do not see any logic in any of this."

Meanwhile, Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar, who had filed a petition in the Central Administrative Tribunal against his non-inclusion in the shortlist, withdrew his plea amid indications that he may be considered for an extended tenure as Delhi Police chief beyond July 2013 when he is supposed to retire.

Sources indicated that the home ministry may consider making the Delhi Police chief a fixed two-year tenure post as per a Supreme Court order. "If it happens before July next year, Neeraj Kumar will automatically get an extended tenure till June 2014," said a source.

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AP PHOTOS: Simple surgery heals blind Indonesians

PADANG SIDEMPUAN, Indonesia (AP) — They came from the remotest parts of Indonesia, taking crowded overnight ferries and riding for hours in cars or buses — all in the hope that a simple, and free, surgical procedure would restore their eyesight.

Many patients were elderly and needed help to reach two hospitals in Sumatra where mass eye camps were held earlier this month by Nepalese surgeon Dr. Sanduk Ruit. During eight days, more than 1,400 cataracts were removed.

The patients camped out, sleeping side-by-side on military cots, eating donated food while fire trucks supplied water for showers and toilets. Many who had given up hope of seeing again left smiling after their bandages were removed.

"I've been blind for three years, and it's really bad," said Arlita Tobing, 65, whose sight was restored after the surgery. "I worked on someone's farm, but I couldn't work anymore."

Indonesia has one of the highest rates of blindness in the world, making it a target country for Ruit who travels throughout the developing world holding free mass eye camps while training doctors to perform the simple, stitch-free procedure he pioneered. He often visits hard-to-reach remote areas where health care is scarce and patients are poor. He believes that by teaching doctors how to perform his method of cataract removal, the rate of blindness can be reduced worldwide.

Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness globally, affecting about 20 million people who mostly live in poor countries, according to the World Health Organization.

"We get only one life, and that life is very short. I am blessed by God to have this opportunity," said Ruit, who runs the Tilganga Eye Center in Katmandu, Nepal. "The most important of that is training, taking the idea to other people."

During the recent camps, Ruit trained six doctors from Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore.

Here, in images, are scenes from the mobile eye camps:

Read More..

Black Friday Frenzy Brings Fights, Injuries

Black Friday, one of the most ballyhooed shopping days of the year, has also proven to be hazardous, with incidents including fights between frenzied shoppers and parking-lot robberies.

Two people were run down Thanksgiving night in the parking lot of a Covington, Wash., Walmart by a man police suspected of being intoxicated.

Shoppers Descend on Black Friday Deals

The 71-year-old driver was arrested on a vehicular assault charge after the Thanksgiving incident, spokeswoman Sgt. Cindi West of the Kings County Sheriff's Office said.

The female victim, whose identity has yet to be released, was pinned beneath the driver's Mercury SUV until being rescued by the fire department. She was flown to Harborview Medical Center, where she was listed in serious condition, West said.

The male victim was also taken to Harborview Medical Center, where, West said, he was listed in good condition.

High tension was at the entrances as people lined up outside stores, waiting for the doors to open.

Black Friday Holiday Shopping Bargains and Pitfalls Watch Video

Black Friday Shoppers Brave Long Lines, Short Tempers Watch Video

At a San Antonio, Texas, Sears, one man argued with customers and even punched one in order to get to the front of the line, prompting a man with a concealed carry permit to pull a gun, said Matthew Porter, public information officer of the San Antonio Police Department.

"It was a little chaotic. People were exiting the store," Porter said. "Fortunately for us, officers responded quickly and were able to ease the commotion."

The man who allegedly caused the altercation fled the scene and remains at large, Porter said. The shopper who pulled the gun will not face charges, he said, because of his concealed carry permit.

One man was treated at the scene for injuries sustained when people rushed out of the store, Porter said.

PHOTOS: Black Friday Shoppers Hit Stores

In Maryland, there has been at least one report of a parking lot robbery.

A 14-year-old boy told police he was robbed of his Thanksgiving night purchases by five men in the parking lot of a Bed Bath and Beyond store early this morning, the Baltimore Sun reported.

And in Massachusetts, Kmart employees tried to locate a shopper over the intercom after a 2-year-old was reported to be alone in a car, ABC News affiliate WCVB-TV reported.

Police arrived to break into the car and remove the child. The boy's caretaker, his mother's boyfriend, denied the incident took place, according to the station, and was not arrested.

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Gaza ceasefire holds but mistrust runs deep

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas held firm on Thursday with scenes of joy among the ruins in Gaza over what Palestinians hailed as a victory, and both sides saying their fingers were still on the trigger.

In the sudden calm, Palestinians who had been under Israeli bombs for eight days poured into Gaza streets for a celebratory rally, walking past wrecked houses and government buildings.

But as a precaution, schools stayed closed in southern Israel, where nerves were jangled by warning sirens - a false alarm, the army said - after a constant rain of rockets during the most serious Israeli-Palestinian fighting in four years.

Israel had launched its strikes last week with a declared aim of ending rocket attacks on its territory from Gaza, ruled by the Islamist militant group Hamas, which denies Israel's right to exist. Hamas had responded with more rockets.

The truce brokered by Egypt's new Islamist leaders, working with the United States, headed off an Israeli invasion of Gaza.

It was the fruit of intensive diplomacy spurred by U.S. President Barack Obama, who sent his secretary of state to Cairo and backed her up with phone calls to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi.

Mursi's role in cajoling his Islamist soulmates in Gaza into the U.S.-backed deal with Israel suggested that Washington can find ways to cooperate with the Muslim Brotherhood leader whom Egyptians elected after toppling former U.S. ally Hosni Mubarak, a bulwark of American policy in the Middle East for 30 years.

Mursi, preoccupied with Egypt's economic crisis, cannot afford to tamper with a 1979 peace treaty with Israel, despite its unpopularity with Egyptians, and needs U.S. financial aid.

MORE DEATHS

Despite the quiet on the battlefield, the death toll from the Gaza conflict crept up on both sides.

The body of Mohammed al-Dalu, 25, was recovered from the rubble of a house where nine of his relatives - four children and five women - were killed by an Israeli bomb this week.

That raised to 163 the number of Palestinians killed, more than half of them civilians, including 37 children, during the Israeli onslaught, according to Gaza medical officials.

Nearly 1,400 rockets struck Israel, killing four civilians and two soldiers, including an officer who died on Thursday of wounds sustained the day before, the Israeli army said.

Israel dropped 1,000 times as much explosive on the Gaza Strip as landed on its soil, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said.

Municipal workers in Gaza began cleaning streets and removing the rubble of bombed buildings. Stores opened and people flocked to markets to buy food.

Jubilant crowds celebrated, with most people waving green Hamas flags but some carrying the yellow emblems of the rival Fatah group, led by Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas.

That marked a rare show of unity five years after Hamas, which won a Palestinian poll in 2006, forcibly wrested Gaza from Fatah, still dominant in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Israel began ferrying tanks northwards, away from the border, on transporters. It plans to discharge gradually tens of thousands of reservists called up for a possible Gaza invasion.

But trust between Israel and Hamas remains in short supply and both said they might well have to fight again.

"The battle with the enemy has not ended yet," Abu Ubaida, spokesman of Hamas's armed wing Izz el-Deen Al-Qassam Brigades, said at an event to mourn its acting military chief Ahmed al-Jaabari, whose killing by Israel on November 14 set off this round.

"HANDS ON TRIGGER"

The exiled leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, said in Cairo his Islamist movement would respect the truce, but warned that if Israel violated it "our hands are on the trigger".

Netanyahu said he had agreed to "exhaust this opportunity for an extended truce", but told Israelis a tougher approach might be required in the future.

Facing a national election in two months, he swiftly came under fire from opposition politicians who had rallied to his side during the fighting but now contend he emerged from the conflict with no real gains for Israel.

"You don't settle with terrorism, you defeat it. And unfortunately, a decisive victory has not been achieved and we did not recharge our deterrence," Shaul Mofaz, leader of the main opposition Kadima party, wrote on his Facebook page.

In a speech, Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas's prime minister in Gaza, urged all Palestinian factions to respect the ceasefire and said his government and security services would monitor compliance.

According to a text of the agreement seen by Reuters, both sides should halt all hostilities, with Israel desisting from incursions and targeting of individuals, while all Palestinian factions should cease rocket fire and cross-border attacks.

The deal also provides for easing Israeli curbs on Gaza's residents, but the two sides disagreed on what this meant.

Israeli sources said Israel would not lift a blockade of the enclave it enforced after Hamas won a Palestinian election in 2006, but Meshaal said the deal covered the opening of all of the territory's border crossings with Israel and Egypt.

Israel let dozens of trucks carry supplies into the Palestinian enclave during the fighting. Residents there have long complained that Israeli restrictions blight their economy.

Barak said Hamas, which declared November 22 a national holiday to mark its "victory", had suffered heavy military blows.

"A large part of the mid-range rockets were destroyed. Hamas managed to hit Israel's built-up areas with around a metric tone of explosives, and Gaza targets got around 1,000 metric tonnes," he said.

He dismissed a ceasefire text published by Hamas, saying: "The right to self-defense trumps any piece of paper."

He appeared to confirm, however, a Hamas claim that the Israelis would no longer enforce a no-go zone on the Gaza side of the frontier that the army says has prevented Hamas raids.

(Additional reporting by Noah Browning in Gaza, Ori Lewis, Crispian Balmer and Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Writing by Jeffrey Heller and Alistair Lyon; Editing by Giles Elgood)

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Football: Benitez focused on short-term in Chelsea role

LONDON: Rafael Benitez said he was focused on the job in hand, rather than worrying about being a stop-gap appointment, after being presented to the media as Chelsea's new interim manager on Thursday.

The former Liverpool coach, 52, is under contract until the end of the current season and replaces Roberto Di Matteo, who was sacked on Wednesday after Chelsea lost 3-0 at Juventus in the Champions League.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who has fired seven managers during his nine-year tenure, has reportedly made repeated overtures to former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, but Benitez said the speculation would not distract him.

"I have a very good relationship with Guardiola. He's a great manager," said Benitez, who had been out of work since leaving Inter Milan in December 2010.

"What will happen in the future, you never know. We have a massive game at the weekend (against Manchester City) and five trophies to fight for.

"When you analyse why you want to go to a top side, it's to win trophies. For one and a half years, two years, I was waiting for the right opportunity.

"I will fight from day one, and we will see what happens."

Guardiola's appeal to Abramovich is said to stem from the passing philosophy he helped instil at Barcelona, but Benitez rejected suggestions he will be judged on the quality of football that Chelsea produce.

"I'm not sure what he (Abramovich) is looking for in terms of Barcelona-style passing and playing good football," said Benitez, who admitted he was yet to meet the club's owner.

"My thinking is that he'll be happy with the team winning and playing well. I don't think there's only one way to play -- whether it's a passing game, or looking for a long pass."

Benitez is expected to help Fernando Torres rediscover his best form, having overseen the Spaniard's development into one of the game's most feared and prolific strikers during their time together at Liverpool.

Torres, 28, scored 81 goals in 142 appearances at Anfield but has found the net just 19 times since joining Chelsea in January 2011, but Benitez suggested he would not get special attention.

"I talked with him, like the others players," said Benitez, who held a training session with his new charges on Thursday afternoon.

"He's one of the important players of this team and I will try to improve him as I improve the others."

Benitez arrived for his introductory press conference just as the Football Association announced that referee Mark Clattenburg had been cleared over allegations he racially abused Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel.

Benitez did not wish to discuss the affair, but when asked about Chelsea's recent record of attracting unwanted headlines, he said he "didn't see any problems".

Benitez also addressed suggestions he had criticised Chelsea during his time at Liverpool, amid reports of supporter discontent at his appointment.

"I don't remember some of the comments (attributed to him)," he said.

"To be really honest, we (Liverpool) were playing against Chelsea, a top team, in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

"I don't see this as a lack of respect, more a manager defending his team against a top side."

Benitez confirmed that he will be assisted by former Dutch international Boudewijn Zenden, who spent three years at Chelsea before working under Benitez at Liverpool.

Chelsea's loss at Juventus left the defending champions on the brink of elimination from the Champions League, while they trail leaders Manchester City by four points in the Premier League.

Under Benitez, Liverpool missed out on the 2008-09 Premier League title by only four points, and he said he did not feel a need to defend his achievements.

"Have you seen my CV?" he said.

"I have all the trophies you can win at club level."

Asked about the absence of a Premier League winners' medal from his trophy cabinet, he retorted: "I won the league twice in Spain (with Valencia). Even Barcelona can't win the Premier League!"

-AFP/ac

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ITBP DG Ranjit Sinha to be new CBI chief

NEW DELHI: Senior IPS officer and present Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) director-general (DG) Ranjit Sinha will be the new CBI chief after retirement of the incumbent A P Singh on November 30.

An order to this effect was issued by the ministry of personnel on Thursday, with the government fast tracking the process to dodge any possibility of a setback during the hearing of Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar's protest petition in the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Friday.

Kumar was one of the contenders for this coveted job before a government panel kept him out of the shortlist of three IPS officers for the top CBI job on the basis of a complaint from an accused in a case of disproportionate assets being probed by the agency.

Sinha is a 1974 batch officer of Bihar cadre, whereas Kumar, who is two batches junior to him, belongs to the Union Territory cadre.

Sinha's name for the post of CBI chief was approved by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Besides the ITBP DG, the present National Investigation Agency chief S C Sinha (1975 batch officer of Haryana cadre) and former DGP of Uttar Pradesh Atul (1976 batch officer of UP cadre) were the other two in the list whose names went to the ACC for final decision.

Anguished by the exclusion, Kumar had recently moved the CAT questioning the procedure for selecting the three officers. He has protested that the government panel, led by the Chief Vigilance Commissioner, benched him on the basis of a complaint from an accused in a CBI case: a position that many in the government seem to be sympathetic to.

In his complaint, Vijay Agarwal, brother of a controversial officer of Enforcement Directorate Ashok Agarwal who faces serious allegations himself, alleged that a CBI inspector intimidated him at the instance of Kumar, who was at the time a joint director with the CBI. The complaint raised eyebrows because of the assertion that the inspector called up Kumar in the presence of the complainant to inform him that his instructions had been carried out.

Justice R C Jain of the Delhi High Court ordered an investigation into Agarwal's charge. The directive passed on Justice Agarwal's last day on the bench was stayed by a division bench of the HC: something which is cited by Kumar's sympathizers to argue, contrary to the reasoning of the panel that shortlisted the three top contenders for CBI director, that there was no case pending against Kumar when he was excluded from the list.

Many in the government fault the committee for failing to factor in the fact that many accused routinely level allegations against police officers investigating them, and that protection against such tactics are built in both the Cr PC and the Delhi Police Special Establishment Act which governs the CBI.

In his nine-year-long stint with the CBI, Kumar investigated and solved several cases: from Mumbai serial blasts and Beant Singh murder case to match-fixing and deportation of dreaded criminal Babloo Srivastava.

His exclusion from the list had paved the way for inclusion of the fourth senior-most officer in the list of six, Atul, in the select panel of three top contenders - prompting Kumar to move the CAT.

Sinha will assume the charge of CBI director at the time when the investigating agency is probing a number of high-profile cases including 2G spectrum scam, CWG scam, coalgate and NRHM scandals among others. He will have two-year fixed tenure as the agency chief.

Sinha had earlier served the CBI on deputation as DIG in Patna and also served as Joint Director (Anti-corruption) and Joint Director (Administration) in Delhi.

Before joining as DG, ITBP, Sinha headed Railway Protection Force (RPF) as DG and made significant contribution in implementing integrated security scheme at various Railway Stations in the wake of terrorist attack at Mumbai's CST Railway Station.

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Study finds mammograms lead to unneeded treatment

Mammograms have done surprisingly little to catch deadly breast cancers before they spread, a big U.S. study finds. At the same time, more than a million women have been treated for cancers that never would have threatened their lives, researchers estimate.

Up to one-third of breast cancers, or 50,000 to 70,000 cases a year, don't need treatment, the study suggests.

It's the most detailed look yet at overtreatment of breast cancer, and it adds fresh evidence that screening is not as helpful as many women believe. Mammograms are still worthwhile, because they do catch some deadly cancers and save lives, doctors stress. And some of them disagree with conclusions the new study reached.

But it spotlights a reality that is tough for many Americans to accept: Some abnormalities that doctors call "cancer" are not a health threat or truly malignant. There is no good way to tell which ones are, so many women wind up getting treatments like surgery and chemotherapy that they don't really need.

Men have heard a similar message about PSA tests to screen for slow-growing prostate cancer, but it's relatively new to the debate over breast cancer screening.

"We're coming to learn that some cancers — many cancers, depending on the organ — weren't destined to cause death," said Dr. Barnett Kramer, a National Cancer Institute screening expert. However, "once a woman is diagnosed, it's hard to say treatment is not necessary."

He had no role in the study, which was led by Dr. H. Gilbert Welch of Dartmouth Medical School and Dr. Archie Bleyer of St. Charles Health System and Oregon Health & Science University. Results are in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.

Breast cancer is the leading type of cancer and cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide. Nearly 1.4 million new cases are diagnosed each year. Other countries screen less aggressively than the U.S. does. In Britain, for example, mammograms are usually offered only every three years and a recent review there found similar signs of overtreatment.

The dogma has been that screening finds cancer early, when it's most curable. But screening is only worthwhile if it finds cancers destined to cause death, and if treating them early improves survival versus treating when or if they cause symptoms.

Mammograms also are an imperfect screening tool — they often give false alarms, spurring biopsies and other tests that ultimately show no cancer was present. The new study looks at a different risk: Overdiagnosis, or finding cancer that is present but does not need treatment.

Researchers used federal surveys on mammography and cancer registry statistics from 1976 through 2008 to track how many cancers were found early, while still confined to the breast, versus later, when they had spread to lymph nodes or more widely.

The scientists assumed that the actual amount of disease — how many true cases exist — did not change or grew only a little during those three decades. Yet they found a big difference in the number and stage of cases discovered over time, as mammograms came into wide use.

Mammograms more than doubled the number of early-stage cancers detected — from 112 to 234 cases per 100,000 women. But late-stage cancers dropped just 8 percent, from 102 to 94 cases per 100,000 women.

The imbalance suggests a lot of overdiagnosis from mammograms, which now account for 60 percent of cases that are found, Bleyer said. If screening were working, there should be one less patient diagnosed with late-stage cancer for every additional patient whose cancer was found at an earlier stage, he explained.

"Instead, we're diagnosing a lot of something else — not cancer" in that early stage, Bleyer said. "And the worst cancer is still going on, just like it always was."

Researchers also looked at death rates for breast cancer, which declined 28 percent during that time in women 40 and older — the group targeted for screening. Mortality dropped even more — 41 percent — in women under 40, who presumably were not getting mammograms.

"We are left to conclude, as others have, that the good news in breast cancer — decreasing mortality — must largely be the result of improved treatment, not screening," the authors write.

The study was paid for by the study authors' universities.

"This study is important because what it really highlights is that the biology of the cancer is what we need to understand" in order to know which ones to treat and how, said Dr. Julia A. Smith, director of breast cancer screening at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York. Doctors already are debating whether DCIS, a type of early tumor confined to a milk duct, should even be called cancer, she said.

Another expert, Dr. Linda Vahdat, director of the breast cancer research program at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, said the study's leaders made many assumptions to reach a conclusion about overdiagnosis that "may or may not be correct."

"I don't think it will change how we view screening mammography," she said.

A government-appointed task force that gives screening advice calls for mammograms every other year starting at age 50 and stopping at 75. The American Cancer Society recommends them every year starting at age 40.

Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, the cancer society's deputy chief medical officer, said the study should not be taken as "a referendum on mammography," and noted that other high-quality studies have affirmed its value. Still, he said overdiagnosis is a problem, and it's not possible to tell an individual woman whether her cancer needs treated.

"Our technology has brought us to the place where we can find a lot of cancer. Our science has to bring us to the point where we can define what treatment people really need," he said.

___

Online:

Study: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1206809

Screening advice: http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/uspsbrca.htm

___

Marilynn Marchione can be followed at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP

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Black Friday Deals Kick Off on 'Gray Thursday'

Black Friday is the Super Bowl of retail, but some of the nation's largest big-box stores can't wait until the day after Thanksgiving to open their doors to shoppers eager to grab great deals the same day as their turkey dinners.

Traditional Black Friday door-busting deals now start tonight, on what's been dubbed Gray Thursday. Major retail stores such as Kmart, Toys R Us, Walmart and Sears will open their doors beginning at 8 p.m. Target will join the party an hour later.

"It's traditionally been the day after Thanksgiving when the stores go into the black, where they make all their money. But that's not true anymore," retail expert Michelle Madhock said.

With Black Friday sales starting Thursday, that means lines started forming Wednesday, or in some extreme cases a week before as bargain hunters tried to get a turkey leg up on their competition.

READ: The Best Black Friday Freebies 2012

Joy Lewis/Abilene Reporter-News/AP Photo

4 Steps to Get the Best Holiday Shopping Deals Watch Video

Top Tips for Thanksgiving Day Door-Buster Deals Watch Video

Luciana Pendleton pitched a tent outside a Deptford Township, N.J., Best Buy Monday fully equipped with all she needed to spend the next few days away from home so she could be first in line when the doors open.

"I am just happy I beat my competition. They pulled up here around 3 p.m., and we were already here so I was happy," she said Monday.

READ: How to Beat Black Friday Stress

Last year, some sale seekers became a little too excited and turned holiday shopping into a contact sport. In one ugly incident, a woman was accused of unleashing pepper spray on other shoppers in a dash for electronics at Walmart in Los Angeles.

This year, stores are beefing up security, and Best Buy even participated in training drills to handle the large crowds. More than 147 million people plan to shop this weekend, according to the National Retail Federation.

The hottest deals that are up for grabs this year include a 46-inch Samsung LED flat screen TV at Walmart with $200 off the original price. If that's not good enough, Sears has knocked $500 off the price of a 50-inch Toshiba flat screen. Target is offering the Nook Simple Touch at half price.

Black Friday officially kicks off at midnight for Best Buy, Sports Authority and Macy's.

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Egyptian-brokered Hamas-Israel ceasefire takes hold

CAIRO/GAZA (Reuters) - Israel and the Islamist Hamas movement ruling the Gaza Strip agreed on Wednesday to an Egyptian-sponsored ceasefire to halt an eight-day conflict that killed 162 Palestinians and five Israelis.

Both sides fought right up to 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) when hostilities were due to stop, with several explosions shaking Gaza City and rockets hitting the Israeli city of Beersheba.

Even after the deadline passed, a dozen rockets from Gaza landed in Israel, all in open areas, a police spokesman said.

If it holds, the truce will give 1.7 million Gazans respite from days of ferocious air strikes and halt rocket salvoes from militants that unnerved a million people in southern Israel and reached Tel Aviv and Jerusalem for the first time.

"Allahu akbar, (God is greatest), dear people of Gaza you won," blared mosque loudspeakers in the enclave as the truce took effect. "You have broken the arrogance of the Jews."

Fifteen minutes later, wild celebratory gunfire echoed across the darkened streets of Gaza, which gradually filled with crowds waving Palestinian flags. Ululating women leaned out of windows and fireworks lit up the sky.

Hamas leaders welcomed the agreement, calling it a triumph for armed resistance, and thanking Egypt for its role.

Some Israelis staged protests against the deal, notably in the southern town of Kiryat Malachi, where three Israelis were killed by a Gaza rocket during the conflict, army radio said.

Announcing the agreement in Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr said mediation had "resulted in understandings to cease fire, restore calm and halt the bloodshed".

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, standing beside Amr, thanked Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Mursi for peace efforts that showed "responsibility, leadership" in the region.

"SEVERE MILITARY ACTION"

The Gaza conflict erupted in a Middle East already shaken by last year's Arab uprisings that toppled several veteran U.S.-backed leaders, including Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, and by a civil war in Syria, where Bashar al-Assad is fighting for survival.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had agreed to "exhaust this opportunity for an extended truce", but told his people a tougher approach might be required in the future.

"I know there are citizens expecting a more severe military action, and perhaps we shall need to do so," he said.

The Israeli leader, who faces a parliamentary election in January, delivered a similar message earlier in a telephone call with U.S. President Barack Obama, his office said.

Obama in turn reiterated his country's commitment to Israel's security and promised to seek funds for a joint missile defense program, the White House said.

Hamas leaders taunted Israel, with the movement's exiled chief Khaled Meshaal saying in Cairo that the Jewish state had failed in its military "adventure". But he pledged to uphold the truce if the Israelis complied with it.

Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas's chief in Gaza and its prime minister there, said: "We are satisfied and proud of this agreement and at the steadfastness of our people and their resistance."

According to a text of the agreement seen by Reuters, both sides should halt all hostilities, with Israel desisting from incursions and targeting of individuals, while all Palestinian factions should cease rocket fire and cross-border attacks.

BUS BOMBING

The deal also provides for easing Israeli restrictions on Gaza's residents, who live in what British Prime Minister David Cameron has called an "open prison".

The text said procedures for implementing this would be "dealt with after 24 hours from the start of the ceasefire".

Israeli sources said Israel would not lift a blockade of the enclave it enforced after Hamas, which rejects the Jewish state's right to exist, won a Palestinian election in 2006.

The ceasefire was forged despite a bus bomb explosion that wounded 15 Israelis in Tel Aviv earlier in the day and despite more Israeli air strikes that killed 10 Gazans.

The Tel Aviv blast, near the Israeli Defence Ministry, touched off celebratory gunfire from militants in Gaza and had threatened to complicate truce efforts. It was the first serious bombing in Israel's commercial capital since 2006.

In Gaza, Israeli warplanes struck more than 100 targets, including a cluster of Hamas government buildings. Medical officials said a two-year-old boy was among the dead.

Israel has carried out more than 1,500 strikes since the offensive began with the killing of a top Hamas commander and with the declared aim of deterring Hamas from launching rocket attacks that have long disrupted life in southern Israeli towns.

Gaza medical officials said 162 Palestinians, more than half of them civilians, including 37 children and 11 women, were killed in Israel's assault. Nearly 1,400 rockets were fired into Israel, killing four civilians and a soldier, the military said.

Egypt, an important U.S. ally now under Islamist leadership, took centre stage in diplomacy to halt the bloodshed, using its privileged ability to speak directly to both sides.

"CRITICAL MOMENT"

Israel, the United States and the European Union designate Hamas as a terrorist organization. It seized the Gaza Strip from the Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007 in a brief but bloody war with his Fatah movement.

"This is a critical moment for the region," Clinton said. "Egypt's new government is assuming the responsibility and leadership that has long made this country a cornerstone for regional stability and peace."

She also promised to work with partners in the region "to consolidate this progress, improve conditions for the people of Gaza, provide security for the people of Israel".

Egypt has walked a fine line between its sympathies for Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood to which Mursi belongs, and its need to preserve its 1979 peace treaty with Israel and its ties with Washington, its main aid donor.

"Egypt calls on all to monitor the implementation of what has been agreed under Egypt's sponsorship and to guarantee the commitment of all the parties to what has been agreed," its foreign minister said at the news conference in Cairo.

Israel, the top recipient of U.S. assistance, agreed to stop fighting after having gathered troops and armor on the border with Gaza in preparation for a high-risk ground assault.

In Amman, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon urged both sides to stick to their ceasefire pledges. "There may be challenges implementing this agreement," he said, urging "maximum restraint".

Israel withdrew unilaterally from the Gaza Strip in 2005, but maintained control over its borders. The United Nations says it remains an occupied territory, along with the West Bank.

The Palestine Liberation Organisation, led by Abbas, wants the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem for an independent state.

(Additional reporting by Noah Browning in Gaza, Ori Lewis, Allyn Fisher-Ilan and Crispian Balmer in Jerusalem, Yasmine Saleh, Shaimaa Fayed and Tom Perry in Cairo, Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman and Margaret Chadbourn in Washington; Writing by Alistair Lyon; Editing by Alastair Macdonald and David Stamp)

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Smartphone shoppers: watch for online tricks

WASHINGTON: Attention smartphone shoppers: watch for cyber criminals using phony apps or messages in an effort to hijack your device or steal your data.

Law enforcement and security experts say that as more people use their mobile devices in stores and on open Wi-Fi networks, the risks are increasing as well.

The FBI-backed Internet Crime Complaint Centre is warning consumers to be on the lookout for fraudulent apps, messages and Wi-Fi networks which can trick users of mobile devices to divulge passwords, personal data or credit card numbers.

"Many times, e-mails, texts or phone calls will look or sound like they are coming from a well-known retailer, stating a need to 'verify' the full credit card number you used for a purchase or ask you to click a link to update personal account information," the centre said.

The centre said Android devices are often targeted by spyware, including one system called FinFisher, capable of taking a mobile device, or Loozfon, "an information-stealing piece of malware."

Security firm McAfee's Gary Davis said that as the popularity of apps surges, "so have the chances that you could download a malicious application designed to steal your information or even send out premium-rate text messages without your knowledge."

Davis said some fraudsters are using Twitter ads offering special discounts for popular gifts, linking to malicious software.

"Criminals are getting more savvy with authentic-looking social ads and deals that take consumers to legitimate looking websites," Davis said.

"In order to take advantage of the deals or contests, they ask them for personal information that can obtain a shopper's credit card number, email address, phone number or home address."

Lookout, a security firm offering free apps for Android and iPhone, also urges prudence.

"Be careful what you do on public Wi-Fi networks especially when you're shopping. Do not expose passwords, account numbers or credit card information unless you are certain that you are on a secure connection," a company statement said.

"Use discretion when downloading apps. Even the most innocent-looking shopping app can contain software designed to steal personal data, make fraudulent charges or even hijack your phone. Only download apps from sites you trust."

- AFP/fa

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Kasab execution: Mostly ‘thumbs-up’ on foreign sites

NEW DELHI: A foreign news agency story headlined 'Mumbai attacks gunman Ajmal Kasab hanged' drew over 150 comments by 7pm on Wednesday on the web site of prominent Pakistan daily Dawn. Interestingly, several of the comments were posted by Indians, or so they claimed. Most, cutting across borders, appeared to be on the same page on the hanging. Many felt a terrorist deserved the harshest punishment.

One Maulana Arshad Khan posted the following comment, "All terrorists must face the same treatment whether in Pakistan or India. The world is for peace. No religion teaches terrorism. It is a few dirty-minded individuals who enjoy killing innocent people. Such people must be hanged in public view. All Pakistanis should expose terror minds living in Pakistan soil." It got 91 approvals and only one disapproval, till 7pm.

Another comment by one Divya drew a huge response. She wrote, "This is sad and tragic, to be very honest! Kasab was just a misguided young boy who never got an opportunity to have education, never got an opportunity to live life with dignity. Worst is, the country, the land, the people he fought and died for, didn't even acknowledge his being, didn't mourn his death and didn't even bother to give him a burial. Instead, the land he waged the war against, gave him a place to rest in peace, forever! I am proud of my country, I am proud of India, at least we're human!" It got 209 thumbs-up and 25 thumbs-down.

Several comments were anti-Kasab, prompting one Mohit to write, "I must say of course after reading the comments here, terrorists are not supported by Pakistani mass. Good for subcontinent. Kasab got what he deserved."

On most Pakistani news sites, the Quetta blast that killed five got a more prominent display. On The News International web site, the hanging did not even feature among the five hot topics of the day, at 4.30pm.

The home page had only one story—Pakistan ignored message on Kasab's execution. It was the seventh most viewed story on The Nation site.

The web site of Frontier Post, published from Peshwar, highlighted the comments made by LeT and Tehrik-i-Taliban. A local Taliban spokesperson had said, "There is no doubt that it's very shocking news and a big loss that a Muslim has been hanged on Indian soil."

An article by Gardiner Harris put out on The New York Times web site said analysts in both India and Pakistan are of the view that it was unlikely to derail improving ties. The report quoted Tariq Fatemi, a retired Pakistani senior diplomat, saying some extremist groups would be angered by the hanging but that many other Pakistanis, including senior government officials, had been "deeply embarrassed" by Kasab and the Mumbai attacks. Fatemi further said, "There is a virtual consensus among Pakistan's mainstream political parties on the importance of keeping the process on the rails and even promoting it."

A Washington Post article quoted Meenakshi Ganguly, south Asia director of Human Rights Watch, as saying, "The hanging of Ajmal Kasab marks a concerning end to the country's moratorium on capital punishment. Instead of resorting to the use of execution to address heinous crime, India should join the rising ranks of nations that have taken the decision to remove the death penalty from their legal frameworks."

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US abortions fall 5 pct, biggest drop in a decade

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. abortions fell 5 percent during the recession and its aftermath in the biggest one-year decrease in at least a decade, perhaps because women are more careful to use birth control when times are tough, researchers say.

The decline, detailed on Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, came in 2009, the most recent year for which statistics are available. Both the number of abortions and the abortion rate dropped by the same percentage.

Some experts theorize that some women believed they couldn't afford to get pregnant.

"They stick to straight and narrow ... and they are more careful about birth control," said Elizabeth Ananat, a Duke University assistant professor of public policy and economics who has researched abortions.

While many states have aggressively restricted access to abortion, most of those laws were adopted in the past two years and are not believed to have played a role in the decline.

Abortions have been dropping slightly over much of the past decade. But before this latest report, they seemed to have pretty much leveled off.

Nearly all states report abortion numbers to the federal government, but it's voluntary. A few states — including California, which has the largest population and largest number of abortion providers — don't send in data. While experts estimate there are more than 1 million abortions nationwide each year, the CDC counted about 785,000 in 2009 because of incomplete reporting.

To come up with reliable year-to-year comparisons, the CDC used the numbers from 43 states and two cities — those that have been sending in data consistently for at least 10 years. The researchers found that abortions per 1,000 women of child-bearing age fell from about 16 in 2008 to roughly 15 in 2009. That translates to nearly 38,000 fewer abortions in one year.

Mississippi had the lowest abortion rate, at 4 per 1,000 women of child-bearing age. The state also had only a couple of abortion providers and has the nation's highest teen birth rate. New York, second to California in number of abortion providers, had the highest abortion rate, roughly eight times Mississippi's.

Nationally since 2000, the number of reported abortions has dropped overall by about 6 percent and the abortion rate has fallen 7 percent.

By all accounts, contraception is playing a role in lowering the numbers.

Some experts cite a government study released earlier this year suggesting that about 60 percent of teenage girls who have sex use the most effective kinds of contraception, including the pill and patch. That's up from the mid-1990s, when fewer than half were using the best kinds.

Experts also pointed to the growing use of IUDs, or intrauterine devices, T-shaped plastic sperm-killers that a doctor inserts into the uterus. A study released earlier this year by the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit organization that does research on reproductive health, showed that IUD use among sexually active women on birth control rose from less than 3 percent in 2002 to more than 8 percent in 2009.

IUDs essentially prevent "user error," said Rachel Jones, a Guttmacher researcher.

Ananat said another factor may be the growing use of the morning-after pill, a form of emergency contraception that has been increasingly easier to get. It came onto the market in 1999 and in 2006 was approved for non-prescription sale to women 18 and older. In 2009 that was lowered to 17.

Underlying all this may be the economy, which was in recession from December 2007 until June 2009. Even well afterward, polls showed most Americans remained worried about anemic hiring, a depressed housing market and other problems.

You might think a bad economy would lead to more abortions by women who are struggling. However, John Santelli, a Columbia University professor of population and family health, said: "The economy seems to be having a fundamental effect on pregnancies, not abortions."

More findings from the CDC:

— The majority of abortions are performed by the eighth week of pregnancy, when the fetus is about the size of a lima bean.

— White women had the lowest abortion rate, at about 8.5 per 1,000 women of child-bearing age; the rate for black women was about four times that. The rate for Hispanic women was about 19 per 1,000.

— About 85 percent of those who got abortions were unmarried.

— The CDC identified 12 abortion-related deaths in 2009.

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Jesse Jackson Jr. to Resign From Congress

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., the embattled Illinois congressman who has been on medical leave from Capitol Hill for months undergoing treatment for bipolar disorder, resigned from Congress Wednesday. Aides to House Speaker John Boehner said they have received a letter of resignation from Jackson Jr.

The news was first reported by ABC's Chicago affiliate WLS and two Chicago newspapers.

Jackson has faced a slew of problems in recent months, most recently a probe by federal investigators into his finances. The federal probe was trying to get to the bottom of "suspicious activity" connected to Jackson's House seat and potentially inappropriate expenditures.

Charles Dharapak/AP Photo

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Jackson's problems began in June when the son of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson suddenly left Congress, with his office stating that he was seeking treatment for "exhaustion." Two weeks later they noted that his condition was "more serious" than initially thought. Jackson, whose district includes a large portion of Chicago's South Side and southeast suburbs, then spent some time at a treatment facility in Arizona before later moving to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Finally in August the clinic said Jackson was being treated for bipolar disorder and was "responding well" and "regaining his strength." In early September Jackson returned home to his family in the nation's capital. A source told ABC News that day that Jackson "sounded good," but despite the Congressional summer recess ending a week later, Jackson did not return to work.

Jackson has missed 230 votes in the House this year. He last voted on June 8.

Despite all his troubles, Jackson still managed to win re-election in a landslide earlier this month. But now he will leave Congress, shrouded by personal problems and professional probes.

According to state law, once Jackson notifies Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, he will have to declare the seat vacant, and the state will hold a special election to fill that spot.

Reached by ABC News Wednesday, one of Jackson's colleagues Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., said he was not surprised that Jackson had decided to leave Capitol Hill, noting that Jackson had cancelled a conference call with constituents set for Wednesday morning.

"I did get the feeling that if you've got plans to say something this morning and then you don't, that would probably indicate that you were pretty close to something," Davis said.

ABC's John Santucci, John Parkinson, Chris Good and Sarah Parnass contributed to this report.

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Clinton in Jerusalem as Gaza truce still elusive

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Jerusalem for talks on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as expectations rose of a ceasefire soon to end a week of fighting around the Gaza Strip.

However, Gaza's rulers, the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, revised a statement that a truce would start overnight, saying it was still waiting for an Israeli response to proposals and did not now expect an announcement until Wednesday.

An official in the Egyptian government, whose new, Islamist leadership has been playing peace broker in Cairo, had also said a ceasefire could begin on Tuesday. But Israeli officials continued to say that discussions were still continuing.

Israel pressed on with its strikes in the coastal enclave on the seventh day of its offensive and Palestinian rockets still flashed across the border as Clinton arrived in Jerusalem. She was due to meet Netanyahu around 11 p.m. (17:00 EDT).

One Hamas official had said a truce might start at 9 p.m. But after that moment passed, a senior figure in the movement, Ezzat al-Rishq, told Reuters in Cairo: "The truce is now held up because we are waiting for the Israeli side to respond.

"We ... must wait until tomorrow."

The Jewish state launched the campaign last week with the declared aim of halting the rocketing of its towns from the Palestinian enclave, ruled by the Hamas militant group that does not recognize Israel's right to exist.

Medical officials in Gaza said 27 Palestinians were killed on Tuesday. An Israeli soldier and a civilian died when rockets exploded near the Gaza frontier, police and the army said.

Gaza medical officials say 134 people have died in Israeli strikes, mostly civilians, including 34 children. In all, five Israelis have died, including three civilians killed last week.

Netanyahu said earlier on Tuesday that Israel was open to a long-term deal aimed at ending Palestinian rocket attacks that have plagued its southern region for years.

Khaled Meshaal, exile leader of Hamas, said on Monday that Israel must halt its military action and lift its blockade of the Palestinian coastal enclave in exchange for a truce.

Both Netanyahu, favored to win a January national election, and U.S. President Barack Obama have said they want a diplomatic solution, rather than a possible Israeli ground operation in the densely populated territory, home to 1.7 million Palestinians.

Israel's military on Tuesday targeted more than 130 sites in Gaza, including ammunition stores and the Gaza headquarters of the National Islamic Bank. Israeli police said more than 150 rockets were fired from Gaza by the evening.

"No country would tolerate rocket attacks against its cities and against its civilians. Israel cannot tolerate such attacks," Netanyahu said with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who arrived in Jerusalem from talks in Cairo, at his side.

"If a long-term solution can be put in place through diplomatic means, then Israel would be a willing partner to such a solution," he said. "But if stronger military action proves necessary to stop the constant barrage of rockets, Israel will do what is necessary to defend our people."

HAMAS TARGETS JERUSALEM AGAIN

After nightfall, Israel stepped up its Gaza bombardment. Artillery shells and missiles fired from naval gunboats slammed into the territory and air strikes came at a frequency of about one every 10 minutes.

In an attack claimed in Gaza by Hamas's armed wing, a longer-range rocket targeted Jerusalem on Tuesday for the second time since Israel launched the air offensive.

The rocket, which fell harmlessly in the occupied West Bank, triggered warning sirens in the holy city about the time Ban arrived for truce discussions. Another rocket damaged an apartment building in Rishon Lezion, near Tel Aviv.

Rockets fired at the two big cities over the past week were the first to reach them in decades, a sign of what Israel says is an increasing threat from Gaza militants.

In the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Hamas executed six alleged collaborators, whom a security source quoted by the Hamas Aqsa radio said "were caught red-handed" with "filming equipment to take footage of positions". The radio said they were shot.

Militants on a motorcycle dragged the body of one of the men through the streets.

Along Israel's sandy, fenced-off border with the Gaza Strip, tanks, artillery and infantry massed in field encampments awaiting any orders to go in. Some 45,000 reserve troops have been called up since the offensive was launched.

A delegation of nine Arab ministers, led by the Egyptian foreign minister, visited Gaza in a further signal of heightened Arab solidarity with the Palestinians.

Egypt has been a key player in efforts to end the most serious fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants since a three-week Israeli invasion of the enclave in the winter of 2008-9. Egypt has a 1979 peace treaty with Israel seen by the West as the cornerstone of Middle East peace, but that has been tested as never before by the removal of U.S. ally Hosni Mubarak as president last year in the Arab Spring uprisings.

Mohamed Mursi, elected Egyptian president this year, is a veteran of the Muslim Brotherhood, spiritual mentors of Hamas, but says he is committed to Egypt's treaty with Israel.

Mursi has warned Netanyahu of serious consequences from an invasion of the kind that killed more than 1,400 people in Gaza four years ago. But he has been careful so far not to alienate Israel, or Washington, a major aid donor to Egypt.

(Additional reporting by Cairo bureau; Writing by Jeffrey Heller and Alastair Macdonald)

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Gaza militants wait for Israel to approve truce

JERUSALEM: Gaza militants said on Tuesday they were awaiting Israeli approval of a Cairo-brokered truce to their seven-day conflict as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in the region to make an urgent push for peace.

The emerging signs of a deal to end seven days of violence that have claimed the lives of 136 Palestinians came as the Israeli army confirmed its first two fatalities from rocket attacks while another missile landed harmlessly just south of Jerusalem.

Optimistic negotiators had initially said that a deal could be announced in Cairo later Tuesday following days of negotiations brokered by an Egyptian government that is keen to make sure the unrest does not spill over to its volatile Sinai territory.

"There will be a joint press conference between Hamas and Islamic Jihad and the Egyptian mediators tonight to announce the truce," an Islamic Jihad source told AFP in Gaza City. A Hamas source separately confirmed the announcement.

But Hamas later said in a statement that Israel had still not responded to the Palestinian proposal as of 22:00 pm (2000 GMT).

"No agreement has been reached until now and it might not happen tonight. All options are open. Our people and the resistance are ready for anything," Hamas leader Izzat al-Rishq tweeted.

Egypt -- its new Islamic government now seen as the Palestinians' main protector -- also initially said the Israeli "aggression" would end within hours.

But Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi's spokesman later toned down that optimism by explaining that Cairo "hopes there will be a settlement soon."

Israeli television also cited local diplomatic sources as saying that a truce announcement would probably have to wait at least until Wednesday.

The bloodshed meanwhile showed no signs of abating as the military pressed on with its bombardment of northern Gaza positions from which most of the militants' rockets have been launched.

The Israeli for their part lost two soldiers to rocket attacks that continued unabated for the seventh day. The army said nearly 800 rockets have hit Israeli territory since the worst outbreak of Gaza violence in four years broke out last Wednesday.

The incessant Israeli bombing killed another 26 Palestinians on Tuesday in attacks that also claimed the lives of two cameramen of the Hamas-owned Al-Aqsa TV station.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said flatly on Tuesday that it was time for Hamas -- the Islamist movement which rules Gaza -- to choose between peace and further bloodshed.

"Our hand is outstretched in peace to those of our neighbours who want to make peace with us," Israel's right-wing premier said in a statement. "And the other hand is firmly grasping the sword of David."

A senior Hamas official told AFP in Cairo that a key sticking point was whether Israel would begin easing its six-year-old blockade of Gaza coinciding with the truce or at a later date.

"A compromise solution is for there to be agreement on lifting the siege, and that it would be implemented later at a specified time," he said.

Netanyahu and his key ministers decided in a closed-door meeting late Monday to place "a temporary hold on a ground incursion to give diplomacy a chance to succeed," a senior Israeli official told AFP.

The move came as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met Netanyahu and again urged all parties to end fire "immediately".

The flurry of diplomatic activity has also seen US Secretary of State Clinton cut short an Asia tour to head to Israel where she arrived late Tuesday for talks with Netanyahu.

The chief US diplomat was due to travel to the West Bank capital Ramallah on Wednesday and also visit Cairo for an expected meeting with Morsi -- seen as one of the most influential negotiators in the current conflict.

Hamas is understood to be seeking guarantees that Israel will stop its targeted killings and end its blockade on the tiny coastal stretch of land.

Israel for its part is believed to be looking for a 24- to 48-hour truce as a buffer to work out a more permanent arrangement.

An Israeli government source said that negotiations from all sides were discussing a truce proposal "constantly" but that no "estimated time of arrival" for a truce could yet be made.

- AFP/fa

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