Thiruvananthapuram: The state cabinet meeting here on Wednesday has decided to form Debt Relief Commission for fishermen. Retired High Court Judge, justice Dinesan will be the chairman of the commission and Dr Purushan, Kuttayi Basheer, former MLA P Raju and K P Jayaseelan will be the members of the commission, said Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan while briefing cabinet decision. Cabinet has also decided to file a memorandum to the centre by pointing out the common needs of the state.

Gaza: The Gaza Strip lay relatively silent on Wednesday, with only two airstrikes reported, a significant drop from the heavy Israeli bombardment over the past few days. The drop in severity of Israel’s offensive may be in response to strong international pressure to end violence immediately.

Ranchi: Jharkhand has provided the highest "Z category" security cover to Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni following the receipt of a letter by his family that threatened that they would be harmed if the skipper fails to pay Rs.5 million to a gangster, police said Wednesday.