Thursday, December 24, 2009 LONDON: The Government will consider changing the law to ensure Israeli politicians can enter the UK without fear of arrest, Harriet Harman confirmed yesterday. The Commons Leader made the promise after a British court issued an arrest warrant for former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni at the weekend. Foreign Secretary David Miliband also backed calls for legal reforms, saying it was vital that senior figures from Israel could visit the UK and have a 'proper dialogue'. Miss Harman told MPs yesterday 'We should be in no doubt that it's important for Israel's leaders to be able to talk to Government ministers in this country. They are important strategic partners.' Her pledge followed a warning from the Israeli government that without changes to the law Britain would cease to have a major role in the Middle East peace process. The warrant against Miss Livni, now the Israeli opposition leader, was apparently granted by a London court at the request of Palestinian plaintiffs over claims of war crimes in Gaza --claims she denies. It was revoked on Monday when it emerged she was not due to visit Britain after all. The International Criminal Court Act 2001 allows anyone to apply to a court for a warrant on war crimes.
Friday, August 14, 2009 MUMBAI: A 26-year-old woman died Thursday of H1N1 swine flu in the southern city of Bangalore, raising India's death toll from the virus to 20, authorities said.The death was the first reported in India's information technology capital, the Press Trust of India reported.Meanwhile in Pune, the worst-affected in India, two more victims of the virus died Thursday, raising the death toll in that western city near Mumbai to 12, the report said. The victims were an 11-month-old boy and a 75-year-old old woman.US media reported movie halls, schools and colleges were ordered closed Thursday for three days to a week in Mumbai, the commercial and financial capital of the country, as fear of the pandemic spread.Prajakata Lavangare, a spokeswoman for the government of Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is the capital, said similar orders were issued in Pune, which is also located in the state.The woman who died in Bangalore was identified only as Roopa, a teacher in...
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