German Chancellor Angela Merkel has suffered a pelvis fracture in a ski accident during her Christmas holiday in a Switzerland, forcing her to cancel several meetings and visits scheduled for the coming weeks.

Merkel, 59, fell during a cross-country skiing at the resort of Engadin on the foothills of the Swiss Alps and sustained "severe bruise linked to a partial fracture on the left, rear part of the pelvic ring", a government spokesman said.

Initially, it was presumed that she had a painful bruise, but medical examination last Friday showed a fracture of the pelvis bone. The Chancellor did not require a hospitalisation and has been advised by her doctors to take bed rest at least for three weeks, the spokesman told a news conference.

She has been walking with the help of crutches and she intends to attend Wednesday's first meeting of her new conservative-social democrat "grand coalition" cabinet, which assumed office on December 17, according to the spokesman.

However, several official engagements scheduled for the coming weeks, including a visit to Poland, the first foreign trip of her third term and a meeting in Berlin with Luxembourg's new prime minister Xavier Bettel have been cancelled.

The US today called for a fresh elections in Bangladesh as soon as possible, saying the polls held over the weekend do not appear credible.

"While it remains to be seen what form the new government will take, United States commitment to supporting the people of Bangladesh remains undiminished," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf said.

"To that end, we encourage the Government of Bangladesh and opposition parties to engage in immediate dialogue to find a way to hold as soon as possible elections that are free, fair, peaceful, and credible, reflecting the will of the Bangladeshi people," Harf said in a statement.

The United States, she said, is disappointed by the recent Parliamentary elections in Bangladesh.

algemeiner.com reports: The Israeli Defense Ministry's head of defense export control, Meir Shalit, resigned last week after the United States expressed anger over a decision he made to sell sensitive military equipment to China, Israeli daily Ma'ariv reported on Sunday.

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A retired judge of the Supreme Court would be appointed "soon" to probe charges of spying on a young woman by Gujarat government in 2009, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde today said.

"The union ministry has decided to set up an inquiry commission and a retired Supreme Court judge would be appointed soon to head the probe panel", Shinde told reporters on the sidelines of a function in the Union Territory of Diu.

Two investigative news portals, Cobrapost.com and Gulail.com, had claimed on November 15 that former minister of state for Home in Gujarat government, Amit Shah had ordered illegal surveillance of a woman at the behest of one "Saheb", an apparent reference to Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

They had released taped conversations between Shah and suspended IPS officer G L Singhal to support their claim, but said that its authenticity could not be confirmed.

At the function, Shinde inaugurated various projects undertaken by the central government.

Opposition leader, P K Dhumal today asked Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to clarify charges levelled against him regarding his and his family's financial transactions.

Holding that counter allegations wouldn't work, Dhumal asked Singh to introspect and resign before it was too late, in a letter, copies of which were sent to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi.

"Instead of giving specific reply, he is trying to misguide the party high command and the common man," Dhumal said.

Superstar Salman Khan says he is not interested in getting married and is happy being single. "I am not interested in getting married or having a girlfriend. I am loving my single status. In 30 years I must have been single...I am loving it. I am absolutely having a blast...you have no idea how I am feeling," Salman said in an interview in Mumbai.  

 

In the past, Salman was uncomfortable and always dodged queries on his marriage but now he seems to have a way around questions on his single status.        

 

"Now that I am single.. I can do whatever I can. There is no need to give explanation, or lie to anyone. Whoever wants to come (in my life) can come.. but don't expect anything," Salman said.        

 

Ask him if he is commitment phobic, the 48-year-old says, "When I commit...then I commit. Right now, I am non-committal about anything."   But he does respect women.        

 

"I respect women and I will always continue to do it. I have never spoken ill about anyone," Salman said.        

Salman has had relationships with various actresses including Somy Ali, Sangeeta Bijlani, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Katrina Kaif. His love-life and link-ups still continues to be the stuff of gossip mills.

Manu Joseph quits Open magazine as Editor-in-Chief.   He will continue to hold charge till the magazine finds a replacement, CNN IBN reports.

Fresh from victory in the controversial general elections, Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina today said she was confident of resolving all pending issues with India, including the Land Boundary Agreement, through talks.        

 

Replying to a question about her government's ties with India in the past five years, Hasina said she wants good relations with all regional countries with the common interest of fighting poverty and deriving mutual benefits.        

 

"We may have some problems on some bilateral issues like the pending Ganges Water treaty, water sharing in 53 other common rivers and the Land Boundary Agreement, but I believe we can settle them through talks," she said in her first comments to the media after the victory in yesterday's polls.        

 

The Land Boundary Agreement envisages exchange of 161 enclaves adversely held by India and Bangladesh in each other's territories and alteration of borders between the two sides at some places.        

Hasina's Awami League won 104 of the 147 seats for which polling was held. Having won 127 seats uncontested, the party now has 231 seats in the parliament.        

 

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia boycotted the polls, which were marred by widespread violence and a low turnout.

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today said the setting up of Lokpal as demanded by Aam Aadmi Party is not a solution to eliminate corruption, and called for administrative reforms to "change the system".    

 

Sukhbir, president of Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal, which is an ally of BJP, said he would tell the NDA to make administrative reforms an agenda of the alliance to end corruption.        

 

"Corruption will not be eliminated with Lokpal, just like crime cannot be eliminated by setting up more police stations. Lokpal is not the solution... the only solution is to change the system," Sukhbir told reporters in Chandigarh.   However, he clarified that SAD was not against Lokpal. "The Lokpal, once formed, could also become corrupt," he said.        

 

"Administrative reforms departments should be set up at Central and state level in the country to change the system by removing obsolete rules," he said.         Sukhbir claimed that the AAP was "copying" its work, and said the SAD was the real party of 'aam aadmi' (common man).  

Only a 'miracle' can save former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, who clings to life facing imminent death, hospital authorities said today.        

A US-based arms company has turned down a multi-million dollar offer to supply high-tech guns to Pakistan, arguing that these weapons might end up being used against American soldiers.        

Do not write off terror group Al Qaeda just yet. 

Mumbai police have filed a 9,000-page charge-sheet in the Rs 5,600-crore National Spot Exchange Ltd scam.

All contentious issues between India and Pakistan should be resolved through dialogue as the two countries had achieved nothing except wars in the last 65 years, Pakistani Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said.

A war of words ensued today between Pervez Musharraf's lawyers and the prosecution at the special court conducting his treason trial after the prosecutor called the former Pakistani dictator a "fugitive" who was "hiding" in a military hospital.        

The story behind the high voter turnout in the recently-held Chhattisgarh polls may not be quite black and white. 

Just In: Sensex falls over 64 points to end at 20,787.30

Union Minister for Overseas Affairs Vayalar Ravi has been reported as telling the media on Monday morning that the Devyani Khobragade issue was over, but the minister, it seems, clearly spoke out of turn and without full knowledge of the facts. 

At a time when the security cordon, residence etc of elected chief ministers is in the news, Debaashish Bhattacharya of The Telegraph meets Lal Thanhawla and files a dispatch. His opening paragraphs tell a story of their own:   

Forty-eight hours after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called on screen goddess turned recluse Suchitra Sen, in vain as it turned out, at Kolkata's Belle Vue clinic, she was called by the ailing screen legend to her bedside on Sunday, The Telegraph reports.

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