Digest of international news for the week Jan 29- Feb 4, 2011

Saturday

Cairo: Embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarakrefuses to bow to mounting pressure to quit but sackedhis Cabinet which later resigned, as death toll rose to 48 innationwide demonstrations and clashes with police whichenters the fifth day.

Washington: After being duped by a California-based"sham" university, scores of Indian students in the US are nowenduring the ignominy of being forced to wear radio collarsaround their ankles so that authorities can keep track oftheir movements.

Sunday

Dubai: Qatar-based Al Jazeera news channel, which hasgiven nearly round-the-clock coverage to the uprising againstthe regime of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, is shut downin Egypt.

Washington: US President Barack Obama has vowed tobuild a "true global, strategic partnership" with India andstressed on advancing bilateral economic ties and makingprogress on nuclear security efforts, as he dropped induring key talks between National Security Adviser ShivshankarMenon and his counterpart Tom Donilon.

Monday

Peshawar: Six people, including a DeputySuperintendent of Police, are killed and 19 others injuredwhen two police vehicles are targeted by a suicide bomber anda roadside bomb in this northwestern Pakistani city.

Cairo, Jan 31 (PTI) Embattled President Hosni Mubaraksacks his interior minister in a revamped cabinet and appointsa new intelligence chief to mollify opposition groups whichcalled for a million people to take to Cairo''s streetstomorrow to demand his ouster.

Tuesday

Cairo: Facing massive public protests seeking hisouster, embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak says hedoes not intend to run for another term after three decades inpower but refused to bow out immediately.

Washington: Harnessing the potential of internet, anIndian American family has embarked on an ambitious project ofconnecting classrooms across the world to bring in virtualreal time interaction among school students.

Wednesday

Cairo: Violent clashes break out between pro-andanti-Hosni Mubarak demonstrators and a soldier died in Egyptas Army fired warning shots, a day after a defiant Presidentsays he would not seek another term in September but wouldneither quit immediately.

Boston: An Indian-American doctor has been sentencedto 15 years in prison by a US court for committing health carefraud with his wife and has been ordered to forfeit over USD43 million in cash and property gained through the fraud. MOREPTI

Thursday

Lahore: A bomb goes off at a Sufi shrine in the oldquarters of this eastern Pakistani city killing two personsand injuring 27 more, an official spokesman said.

Cairo: Egypt''s new Vice President Omar Suleiman offersmore concessions and Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq apologisesfor yesterday''s violence to calm the popular uprising ahead oftomorrow''s deadline set for the embattled President HosniMubarak to quit.

Friday

Islamabad: The ruling Pakistan People''s Partyauthorises Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to dissolve hisjumbo cabinet and form a smaller council of ministers amiddemands for political reforms from the opposition andinternational donors.

Islamabad: A US Congressional delegation protests the"continued illegal detention" of an American diplomat inPakistan during a meeting with Prime Minister Yousuf RazaGilani, who said the matter would be decided by the court. PTI