AHMEDABAD - A special court here Tuesday sent to the gallows 11 people and gave life imprisonment to 20 others for the February 2002 burning of a train coach in Gujarat's Godhra town, in which 59 people were killed triggering a communal frenzy that claimed an estimated 1,000 lives in the state.

SRINAGAR - An ex-army major, wanted for the 1996 disappearance and murder of a lawyer and rights activist, has surfaced in California and reportedly said the Al Qaeda is present in Jammu and Kashmir - a claim strongly denied by the authorities here who are now planning to seek his extradition.

CHRISTCHURCH - The toll in the devastating earthquake in New Zealand's second largest city of Christchurch rose to 155, a media report said Tuesday.

COLOMBO - Two fighter jets crashed on the outskirts of Sri Lanka's capital Tuesday after a mid-air collision during rehearsal for an air force celebration, a military spokesman said.

AHMEDABAD - A special court here Tuesday sent to the gallows 11 people and gave life imprisonment to 20 others for the February 2002 burning of a train coach in Gujarat's Godhra town that killed 59 people and triggered a communal frenzy, which claimed an estimated 1,000 lives in the state.