Vienna  - As the first large Austrian bank to apply for government aid, Erste Group Bank AG said Thursday it will receive 2.7 billion euros (3.5 billion dollars) of public funds to strengthen its capital base.

The percentage of the bank's debts covered by equity through the cash injection will rise to 10 per cent by the end of the year, compared with the previous estimate of 7.5 per cent.

In return for the government help, Erste agreed to provide credit worth 6 billion euros to Austrian commercial and retail customers over the next three years.

New Delhi, Oct 30 : The Union Home Ministry has sought an immediate report from the Assam Government on serial blasts, in which at least 26 people are feared dead and over 100 injured.

Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta spoke to Assam Chief Secretary P. C. Sharma, saying the situation was being closely monitored.

The Ministry is keeping a constant watch on the situation, Madhukar Gupta said.

New Delhi, Oct 30 : The annual rate of inflation, year on year as conventionally measured, declined to 10.68 per cent for the week ending October 18, 2008 compared to a rate of 11.07 per cent reported in the previous week, according to a statement issued by the Finance Ministry.

Inflation in the same period in the previous year at 3.11 per cent, however, was significantly lower.

Nanded (Maharashtra) Oct 30 : Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today said that national unity and integrity is under threat from "divisive" forces and terrorism, which needed to be combated collectively.

Addressing a function at Nanded while participating in Tri-centenary celebrations of Guru Granth Saheb, he said there are forces who want people to fight among themselves.

Islamabad- Rescue workers on Thursday fanned out in south-western Pakistan, distributing relief supplies among thousands of earthquake survivors as the death toll climbed to at least 230, officials said.

Many isolated hamlets remained inaccessible as hungry, distraught women, children and elders waited for aid while preparing to spend a second freezing night in the open.

About 20,000 people were left homeless after their mud-brick houses were flattened by a magnitude-6.4 earthquake that hit Balochistan province just before dawn Wednesday, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Johannesburg - A South African soldier was killed and another seriously injured in an attack by gunmen on their unit in the conflict-hit western Sudanese province of Darfur, the South African defence department said Thursday.

The troops were about 3 kilometres from their base at Kutum in the north of the province on Wednesday when unknown gunmen approached them at a water point and opened fire, defence forces spokesman Brigadier General Kwena Mangope told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa in Johannesburg.