Jerusalem - The ultra-Orthodox Shas party decided Friday morning not to join a coalition led by Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, dealing a serious blow to her efforts to form the government by early next week, Israel Radio reported.

The party's Council of Torah Sages, headed by Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yoseph, decided in a conference call Friday morning to reject the final offer she had made for raising child allowances for large families, a top priority for the party.

Washington, Oct 24: Former press secretary of George W Bush, Scott McClellan, has backed Democrat Barack Obama to triumph in the race for the White House.

McClellan made his declaration, which had been expected, during the taping of a CNN programme to be broadcast on Saturday.

“From the very beginning I’ve said I’m going to support the candidate who has the best chance of changing the way Washington works and getting things done,” the former White House spokesman told presenter DL Hughley.

“I will be voting for Barack Obama,” he said.

McClellan’s endorsement comes days after another prominent Republican, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, announced his support for Obama.

Wellington - New Zealand's Asian community - the fastest-growing group in the nation of just under 4.3 million - is poised to make its voice heard as never before in parliament after next month's general election.

Up to four other Asians could join current members Chinese migrant Pansy Wong and Pakistani Muslim Ashraf Choudhary in the House of Representatives after the poll on November 8.

They will not be a huge bloc in the parliament of about 120 seats, but will have an important profile, given predictions that the number of Asians could near 800,000, close to the estimated indigenous Maori population, inside two decades.

Whether u believe it or not, but it's true.

One of the groups of lawyers defending the MNS chief Raj Thackrey belongs to North India. He is the most common face in Raj's legal team.

Akhilesh Chaubey, the 32-year-old lawyer from Jaunpur in UP, is one of strongest North Indian supporter of Raj. Raj has declared war against the North Indians residing in Mumbai or coming into the business capital of India for other reasons. 

Chaubey is associated with Raj since 1987 when he was a Shivsena activist. At that time Raj was heading Bharati Vidyarthi Sena, student wing of Shivsena. 

The Maharastra Nav Nirman Samiti general secretary Shirish Parkar was arrested on Wednesday night on charges of rioting. He was arrested by Kherwadi police. Parkar is the key aide of Raj Thackrey.

Police picked him from Thackeray's residence, Krishna Kunj, in Shivaji Park. DCP (Zone-3) confirmed his arrest. "Shirish Parkar has been arrested for rioting around the Bandra-Kurla Complex on Tuesday,'' he said. 

According to police Parkar was booked under Sections 143, 144, 145 and 141 of IPC, holding him responsible of rioting and unlawful assembly.