Hamas-Israel ceasefire takes hold but mistrust runs deep

CAIRO/GAZA (Reuters) - A ceasefire between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers took hold on Thursday after eight days of conflict, although deep mistrust on both sides cast doubt on how long the Egyptian-sponsored deal can last. Even after the ceasefire came into force late on Wednesday, a dozen rockets from the Gaza Strip landed in Israel, all in open areas, a police spokesman said. In Gaza,...

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Pakistan attacks kill 28 on eve of summit

ISLAMABAD: A suicide bomber attacked a Shiite Muslim procession in Pakistan on Wednesday, killing 16 people in the most deadly incident on a day of violence that left at least 28 dead on the eve of a major international summit.The blast in Rawalpindi near the capital Islamabad came after a series of earlier attacks across the nation, a stark reminder of the security challenges facing a...

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Full stop for Ajmal Kasab, comma in terror war

NEW DELHI: Many questions are being raised over the timing of Ajmal Kasab's execution a day ahead of Parliament's winter session, but the date for it — November 21 — was actually set over two months ago.After Supreme Court confirmed Kasab's death sentence on August 29, the Maharashtra government, in consultation with the additional sessions judge on September 11, agreed on November 21 as the date...

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White House: Cease-Fire Is 'Tenuous'

Bernat Armangue/AP PhotoThe Israel-Hamas cease-fire brokered by the Obama administration, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi, and announced today is fragile, White House officials acknowledged.“The way we view this is that it’s an important step,” a senior White House official said, “but our concerns are Egypt can’t control all of Hamas,” the ruling...

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OB/GYNs back over-the-counter birth control pills

WASHINGTON (AP) — No prescription or doctor's exam needed: The nation's largest group of obstetricians and gynecologists says birth control pills should be sold over the counter, like condoms.Tuesday's surprise opinion from these gatekeepers of contraception could boost longtime efforts by women's advocates to make the pill more accessible.But no one expects the pill to be sold without a prescription...

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Gaza shakes, Israelis killed as Clinton seeks truce

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli air strikes shook the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rockets struck across the border as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks in Jerusalem in the early hours of Wednesday, seeking a truce that can hold back Israel's ground troops. Hamas, the Islamist movement controlling Gaza, and Egypt, whose new, Islamist government is trying to broker a...

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Tennis: Nadal back in training after layoff

MADRID: Former world No.1 Rafael Nadal has returned to training at his Mallorca base after nearly five months on the sidelines with a knee injury."Today was my first training session after so many weeks out," the Spaniard said on his Facebook page "I am making progress and I hope to continue to do so."Nadal last played at Wimbledon on June 28 when he lost to the unseeded Lukas Rosol of...

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Cyclists set out for green GDP

SILIGURI: A group of environmental activists set out from here on a 2,000km awareness yatra on Tuesday to press for the introduction of what they are calling gross environmental product (GEP), a measure similar to GDP for monitoring India's natural resources.The 11-member team will travel on bicycles from Siliguri in north Bengal to Dehradun in Uttarakhand, covering the distance in 40 days. They...

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Clinton Pledges to 'De-Escalate' Gaza Conflict

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met for more than two hours today behind closed doors with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, saying she sought to "de-escalate the situation in Gaza."Clinton, who flew to Israel today, appeared with Netanyahu ahead of their 4 p.m. ET meeting to discuss a possible ceasefire to the fighting between Israel...

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New push for most in US to get at least 1 HIV test

WASHINGTON (AP) — There's a new push to make testing for the AIDS virus as common as cholesterol checks.Americans ages 15 to 64 should get an HIV test at least once — not just people considered at high risk for the virus, an independent panel that sets screening guidelines proposed Monday.The draft guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force are the latest recommendations that aim to make...

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