Rubber tapping before school for Malaysian Indian girl
By IANS,
Seremban (Malaysia) : The Malayasian Indian Congress (MIC) is collecting money to help student Margatha Ambiga, who has to wake up early morning and work on a rubber plantation for three hours before going to school, so she can support her family.
Ambiga has to get up at 3 a.m. and go to a rubber estate about 10km away, and help a neighbour tap rubber for three hours before returning home at 6am, cleaning up and then going to her school.
Video of Taliban flogging girl a fake: Investigators
By IANS,
Islamabad : The video footage of a girl being flogged by Taliban militants in Pakistan's restive Swat valley is a fake, a five-member team of investigators has said in its final report.
Interior Secretary Kamal Shah said: "It (the probe team) has completed its investigation and handed over a report to me."
The report said the video footage was "false and fake" and no such incident had taken place, Shah was quoted as saying by the Dawn.
Shah was speaking at a press conference Friday at the Commissioner's House in Saidu Sharif in Swat district.
Jinnah was ‘demonsed’ by India: Jaswant Singh
By NNN-PTI,
New Delhi : Senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh has said Pakistan's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah was "demonised" by India even though it was Jawaharlal Nehru whose belief in a centralised system had led to the Partition.
Jaswant, whose book "Jinnah - India, Partition, Independence", will be released tomorrow, also said Indian Muslims are treated as aliens.
"Oh yes, because he created something out of nothing and single-handedly he stood against the might of the Congress party and against the British who didn't really like him...
The role of Muslims in environmental protection
By Sajid Anjum,
Muslims are one-third of the world. How can they contribute to saving the earth? The world’s one-third population is not paying attention to their claim in associating themselves with their beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) while He was the staunch advocator for the cause of environmental protection. According to Prophet (Hadith by Al-Bukhari) "There is none amongst the believers who plants a tree, or sows a seed, and then a bird, or a person, or an animal eats thereof, but it is regarded as having given a charitable gift”[for which there is great recompense].
International Halal Conference to focus on Quality Assurance
By TCN News,
Brussels (Belgium): The global halal market is worth an estimated $632 billion annually and is growing. From Chicago to Canberra and beyond, halal foods now have a presence in most countries. The expanding market offers immense potential for businesses to produce products geared towards the Muslim consumer. However, the lack of universal standards makes the market vulnerable to fraud.
Suicide bombing kills 17 Saudi policemen
Riyadh: At least 17 policemen were killed in Saudi Arabia on Thursday when a suicide bomber targeted a mosque, Al Arabiya reported.
The horrific incident...
Minister among 10 killed in Pakistan suicide attack
Islamabad: Pakistan's Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada was among 10 people killed on Sunday when a suicide attack destroyed his office in Attock city,...
Parliament query shows Work Population Ratio lowest among Muslims
By TCN Staff Reporter
Delhi: Work population ratio, which is an indicator used to analyse the employment situation in the country, continues to remain the...
30 more Guwahati-bound Rohingyas held in Tripura-Assam border
Agartala, Jan 21 (IANS) Even as 31 Rohingya Muslims are stranded along the India-Bangladesh borders since Friday, 30 more Rohingyas, including 12 children, were...
WAMY signs deal with Tanzanian University
By IINA,
Riyadh : The Riyadh-based World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) has signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with Mirgori University in Tanzania. The MOU signed by Dr. Saleh Al Wohaibi, secretary general of WAMY, and Prof. Hamza Anjouzi of the University, stipulates cooperation between the two sides in the scientific, academic and cultural domains as well as providing the University with the specialized Arabic references.
Pakistan mine blast kills one
By IANS,
Islamabad: At least one miner was killed and over 50 were trapped after three blasts shook an underground coal mine Sunday in southwest Pakistan, media reports said.
Indian pays blood money, saves four countrymen in Saudi Arabia
By IANS,
Dubai: An Indian entrepreneur in Qatar offered "blood money" to save the lives of four of his countrymen sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia, a media report said Sunday.
DPRK denounces US military attack on Libya
By NNN-KCNA,
Pyongyang : A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has denounced military attacks by the United States on Libya.
Pabna in Bangladesh celebrates Suchitra Sen’s 80th birthday
By IANS,
Dhaka : Bangladesh's Pabna district celebrated Bengali screen legend Suchitra Sen's 80th birthday this week with a call to preseve her ancestral home as a heritage site and museum.
Book on UAE Armed Forces issued
By IANS/WAM,
Abu Dhabi : A book on the UAE Armed Forces has been issued to mark the 35th anniversary of the UAE Armed Forces Unification, it was announced Saturday.
The categorical revolution: Democratic uprising in the Middle East
By Irfan Ahmad,
Why “The Categorical Revolution”?
Man guns down five in Pakistan mosque
By IANS,
Islamabad : A madman armed with an AK-47 assault rifle stormed into a mosque in Pakistan's northwest tribal region and shot dead five worshippers, Geo News reported.
Iran missile programme no threat to Europe: French official
By IANS,
Moscow: Iran's ballistic missile programme does not yet pose a threat to Europe or the US, a top French official has said.
Dubai, Hong Kong sign MoU to boost exports
By IANS/WAM,
Dubai: Dubai and Hong Kong have signed an agreement to promote bilateral trade.
UAE group wins at Gourmand World Cookbook Awards
By IANS,
Sharjah: The Kalimat Publishing House from Sharjah has won the best cookbook translation award in the UAE at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2012.
VHP seeks help for Pakistani Hindus in Delhi
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Sunday urged citizens to help out Pakistani Hindus who had fled their country to escape persecution and whose visas expire Monday.
Indo-Pak academics in Jamia on human rights in South Asia
By TCN News,
New Delhi: The Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s Studies & Department of Tourism, Hotel, Hospitality & Heritage Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia are going to jointly organize a one-day International Seminar on “Human Rights in South Asia”.
Yemeni navy officer survives assassination attempt
Sanaa: A high-ranking officer of the Yemeni navy forces escaped an assassination attempt in the southeastern province of Shabwa Tuesday evening, a security official...
Pakistan International Airlines sacks employees for fake degrees
Islamabad: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has sacked around 300 employees, including pilots, cabin crew and engineers, for producing fake degrees, media reported Saturday.
The...
Pakistan government ready to file FIR against Sharif
Islamabad : The Pakistan government Thursday said it was ready to lodge a first information report (FIR) against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, among others,...
Former Indian journalist in Pakistan shares her experiences with students in a Delhi school
By TCN News,
New Delhi: Aaghaz-e-Dosti, an Indo-Pak Friendship initiative of India-based Mission Bhartiyam and Pakistan-based The Catalyst – TC, organized Aman Chaupal at Andhra Education Society on 10th October with former Indian Journalist in Pakistan Meena Menon.
Iran denies blocking Strait of Hormuz
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow: Iran Saturday rejected Western media reports it was planning to close the Strait of Hormuz during a six-day naval drill that was launched Friday.
Dubai shopping fest to award journalists
By IANS/WAM,
Dubai: The Dubai Shopping Festival will present awards to journalists who cover the 32-day event that will begin Jan 3.
Protesting judges take out rally in Dhaka
By IANS,
Dhaka : The Bangladesh capital, which is used to myriad street protests, witnessed an unprecedented demonstration Monday by over a hundred lower court judges.
Arriving in several buses, they staged a vociferous rally in front of the Law Ministry at the Central Secretariat saying they had not been consulted before the government decided to bifurcate the law ministry that employs them.
UAE to regulate NGOs working for disabled
By IANS/WAM,
Abu Dhabi : Non-Governmental Organisations working for the rehabilitation of disabled people in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will now come under the control of the ministry of social affairs.
An ordinance in this regard was issued Monday by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of UAE, which aims to regulate private sector services in this category.
The regulation will contribute to the development of services for disabled people and their effective integration into the society, a statement from the ministry of social affairs said.
Dhaka TV channel to challenge shutdown order
By IANS,
Dhaka : The management of Channel 1, a private TV channel that was shut down Tuesday, has said it was "ready to take legal steps against the government move".
The government Tuesday evening clamped a moratorium on the Channel 1 transmission for using rented broadcasting equipment in violation of the law.
Channel 1 director Mazidul Islam claimed that they own the equipment that was mortgaged to Prime Bank.
"We are getting ready to take legal steps against the government move," Mazidul Islam said.
India relaxes norms for Indian citizenship to Pak nationals
By TCN News,
New Delhi: Two days after the Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh visited Kashmir extending hands of friendship to Pakistan, the Government of India today relaxed norms for Indian Citizenship to certain categories of Pakistan Nationals staying in India.
Lebanese Shia cleric dies
By IANS,
Beirut : Lebanese Shia cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah died Sunday at the age of 75.
Fadlallah died at Beirut's Bahman Hospital, where he was being treated for internal bleeding since Friday, Xinhua reported.
He was a supporter of Iran's Islamic Revolution and the spiritual leader and mentor of Lebanon's Shia armed group Hezbollah.
He was also known for his moderate views on social affairs, especially on women. Shia Muslims account for about 30 percent of the Lebanese population.
Pakistan’s retired military officers embark on mea culpa
By C. Uday Bhaskar, IANS
In an extraordinary development, unprecedented in the annals of Pakistan's troubled history, almost a hundred retired senior military officers, including former chiefs of staff, met Jan 31 in Islamabad and denounced President Pervez Musharraf - till recently the chief of army staff - and described him as the "main obstacle to democracy" in the run-up to the Feb 18 national elections.
UAE’s GDP grew by 5.2 percent in 2007
By IANS,
Abu Dhabi : The gross domestic product (GDP) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) grew by 5.2 percent in 2007, according to the latest figures released by the UAE's ministry of economy.
The country's economy also expanded to 729.7 billion dirhams ($198.6 bilion) in 2007, the official Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported citing the figures.
GDP in the non-oil sector grew by 16.8 percent, touching 467.9 billion dirhams ($127.4 billion). This accounted for 64.1 percent of the total GDP during 2007.
Brussels museum features Islamic art gallery
BRUSSELS, Dec 26 (KUNA) -- The huge building of Belgium's Royal Museum of Arts and History, situated in the Parc du Cinquantenaires, one of the most beautiful parks in Brussels.
This museum has an important collection of art objects from different civilizations from all over the world, including non-European civilizations such as the Islamic world, China, Korea, India and Southeast Asia, pre-Colombian America, Polynesia, and others.
Dhaka’s ex-deputy speaker detained for sedition
By IANS,
Dhaka : The former deputy speaker of the Bangladesh parliament, Akhter Hamid Siddiqui, has been detained for 30 days for allegedly making a "seditious remark".
During an outburst at a police station, Siddiqui is alleged to have told an officer that the present Awami League-led government would be "ousted" in two months and that "thousands of people would die" during the period, according to United News of Bangladesh (UNB) news agency.
Urgent need for peace in Middle East: Pope
By DPA,
Rome : Roman Catholic Pope Benedict XVI Sunday called for the prompt resolution of the Middle East conflict and urged Muslim countries to guarantee total religious freedom.
Remove India, Pakistan border restrictions: Sikh pilgrims
By IANS,
Lahore: The border restrictions between Pakistan and India should be abolished for peace and prosperity in the region, said a group of Sikh pilgrims from India.
British Muslims on jehad trip to Somalia: WikiLeaks
By IANS,
London : British Muslims are travelling to Somalia for "jehadi tourism" to get training for terrorist attacks in Britain, secret US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks have revealed.
Britain to continue Libya operation
By IANS,
London : British forces will continue the fight in Libya against long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi until "the job was done", a top official said.
Pakistan, US are friends, says US official
By IANS,
Islamabad : Pakistan and the US have a friendly relationship, but friends often disagree with one another, an American official has said.
UAE, Vietnam discuss ties
By IANS/WAM,
Hanoi : UAE and Vietnam have discussed ways to boost bilateral cooperation.
India does not rule out Modi-Sharif meet at SAARC
New Delhi : India Sunday did not rule out a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on...
Key commanders of Hafiz Gul Bahadur group killed in airstrikes in Pakistan
Peshawar: Airstrikes by the Pakistani military in the Datakhel tehsil of the North Waziristan tribal area killed at least seven key commanders of the...
Resumption of Karachi power supply underway
Islamabad : Resumption of power supply in Pakistan's Karachi city, which remained suspended Sunday for more than 10 hours, is underway.
An electricity company spokesperson...
Dr. Zakir Naik wins King Faisal International Prize
Riyadh: Dr. Zakir Naik and Dr. Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Kaki were among the five recipients of this year’s King Faisal International Prize.
The winners were announced at a ceremony held in Riyadh on Tuesday evening, with the prize for Arabic Language and Literature being withheld. The prize for Services to Islam went to Dr. Zakir Naik, president of the Islamic Foundation of India, while the prize for Islamic Studies went to Dr. Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Kaki, consultant at the Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah Development Commission.
Arab-American family slams United Airlines over discrimination
New York : An Arab-American family slammed United Airlines after its staff removed them from a flight in an incident that they claimed was...
Presidency of Holy Mosques launches Website
By IINA,
Makkah : The Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques has launched a website that allows people all over the world to watch prayers and sermons at the two mosques. It also offers access to 45,000 recordings of recitation of the Qur’an and Islamic lectures. The website (www.gph.gov.sa) provides information about the presidency and its activities. It also contains links to the Agency for the Prophet’s Mosques Affairs, libraries of the two mosques, the Institute of the Haram Mosque and the Kaaba Kiswa Factory in Makkah.
Suicide bomber kills Iraqi soldier in northern Iraq
By Xinhua,
Mosul, Iraq : A suicide bomber struck an Iraqi Army patrol in the city of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province on Tuesday, killing an Iraqi soldier and wounding five others, a provincial security source said.
The attack took place in the afternoon when a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into an army patrol and blew it up in the Yarmouk neighborhood in western Mosul, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The blast destroyed two of the patrol's vehicles, the source said.
Kuwaiti parliamentary candidates call for development schemes, praise 5 constituency
By KUNA,
Kuwait : Second constituency candidate for scheduled parliamentary elections Mohammad Al-Mutair has called on the government to abide by explicit development schemes, and a fellow nominee from the third constituency, Abbas Bou Reden, praised the new five-constituency system.
Pakistan to advance clock by an hour for ‘daylight saving’
By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS,
Islamabad : It's like moving from "Musharraf time" to "Zardari time", says a retired government official as Pakistan adopts Daylight Saving Time (DST) on June 1 and advances the clock by an hour.
According to a government notification, the country will advance its time on the first day of the next month and will be six hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) instead of the present five hours.
‘Brick wall discovery indicates ancient Bangladesh university’
By IANS,
Dhaka : A brick wall discovered beneath the 1,500-year-old Vasu Bihar in northern Bangladesh's Bogra district indicates the possibility of a university campus, an archaeological expert has said.
"We think a university campus lies buried there. Maybe the Pala dynasty built the Vasu Bihar on the structure knowingly or unknowingly," said Nahid Sultana, leader of a government archaeological excavation team.
She called the discovery "a major breakthrough", but told The Daily Star newspaper that much work needed to be done.
Tarang Software forays into Saudi Arabia
By IANS,
Mumbai : Tarang Software Technologies, a leading provider of point of sale (PoS) and mobile payment solutions, Thursday announced that it has acquired Saudi Arabia-based software major Intersoft.
Headquartered in Riyadh, Intersoft is a specialised provider of PoS solutions, a fully integrated software package for retailers, and has branches spread all over the Middle East.
Earlier, Intersoft had partnered with Tarang to develop several mobile payment solutions in Saudi Arabia.
US Congress notifies dilivery of refurbished F-16s to Pakistan
By NNN-APP,
Washington : The US Congress Tuesday notified delivery of 10 refurbished F-16 fighter aircraft to Pakistan.
Of the 12 refurbished planes, Pakistan is getting from the United States, two have already been delivered to it.
The country will receive eight jets over two months, four each in June and July this year, while the remaining two F-16s will be delivered subsequently.
Pakistan is receiving the planes as a major non-NATO ally of the United States and their provision signifies close defence relations between the two countries.
Legalise polygamyous marriages to protect women: Australian cleric
By IANS,
Sydney : An Islamic leader in Australia has said that polygamous marriages exist in the country and the government should legalise them to protect the rights of women.
Islamic Friendship Association of Australia's Keysar Trad told a programme on the Triple J radio station that polygamists in Australia's Muslim community would like their relationships to be legalised as otherwise in the case of the man's demise, women were left in a vulnerable position.
Two foreigners go missing in Afghanistan
By IANS,
Kabul : A search operation has been launched after two foreigners - an American and a Canadian - went missing in Afghanistan, police said Sunday.
‘Theatre finds support but difficult to sustain in Afghanistan’
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
Ex-Pakistan army chief praises Modi for austere living
Islamabad : A former Pakistani army chief Sunday praised Narendra Modi, set to be India's new prime minister, for austere living - in contrast...
Criticism notwithstanding, ‘Children of War’ goes houseful in Bangladesh
Dhaka: Indian filmmaker Mrityunjay Devvrat's "Children of War: Nine Months to Freedom", a film on Bangladesh's Liberation War, is luring audiences to the theatres...
Iran denies agreement on Arak, Fordow n-sites
Tehran : Tehran and the six world powers have not made any agreement on Iran's heavy water nuclear power plant of Arak and the...
80 Taliban militants killed in Afghanistan
Kabul : As many as 80 Taliban militants were killed and 47 others injured in military operations across Afghanistan, the country's interior ministry Sunday.
"Afghan...
Iran election results show approval of government: Ahmadinejad
By DPA,
Tehran : Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that the results of the presidential election were an approval of the government's performance, Fars news agency reported.
"The election was a de facto referendum by 40 million people for the Islamic system in Iran," Ahmadinejad said in a cabinet session.
"It was also an approval of the performance of the government as 25 (out of the 40) million people approved this form of country management," the president added.
Five Pakistani clerics gunned down in Somalia
By DPA,
Nairobi/Mogadishu : Five Pakistani clerics have been shot dead during an attack on a mosque in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region, reports said Wednesday.
Armed men entered the mosque in Galkayo town Tuesday and ordered seven clerics to come outside and then pumped them with bullets, Radio Shabelle reported.
Five of the clerics died and the other two were seriously injured in the attack.
The clerics are believed to be from a peaceful Islamic group called the Tabliq, which often sends foreign preachers to Somalia.
Samy Vellu’s team sweeps Malaysian Indian Congress polls
By IANS,
Kuala Lumpur : Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) chief S. Samy Vellu Saturday retained his hold over the party with his men sweeping organisational polls.
Incumbent deputy president G. Palanivel, who figured on Vellu's 'official' list, retained the post after defeating main challenger, former deputy president S. Subramaniam.
Also defeated was former vice-president S. Sothinathan, a former Vellu protege who had challenged his mentor by entering the poll fray that had generated much heat and controversy.
Iran has enough data to produce nuclear bomb: report
By NNN-APP,
New York : A confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations nuclear watchdog, said that Iran had enough information to produce a nuclear bomb, the New York Times reported Sunday.
Western powers accuse Iran of attempting to build atomic weapons, but Tehran says its nuclear programme is aimed at generating nuclear energy for civilian purposes.
Iran has “sufficient information to be able to design and produce a workable” nuclear weapon, the newspaper quotes the report as saying.
Tagore’s chair, teapot found in Bangladesh
By IANS,
Dhaka : A chair and a teapot that Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore used have been found in Bangladesh, over six decades after the poet's death.
Tagore enthusiasts, the department of archaeology and a museum dedicated to Tagore continue to receive memorabilia even as those in their custody are found neglected and in poor state, The Daily Star newspaper said after a correspondent visited the Patisar Kacharibari Museum.
The department's employees say that some Tagore memorabilia have been lost and efforts are on to collect them in the interests of preservation.
Stop funding Israel’s war on Palestine, CPI-M tells Modi government
Kolkata : Attacking the Narendra Modi government's foreign policy, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury Monday urged India not to get swayed by US considerations in...
Syrian army retakes 16 villages from IS
Damascus: The Syrian army has seized control of 16 villages and farms in the northeastern province of Hasakah from the Islamic State (IS) terrorist...
Hyderabadi student shot dead in US
Hyderabad: A student from Hyderabad has been shot dead by unidentified gunman in the US, according to his family.
Sai Kiran Goud was killed by...
ICSSR to sponsor conference on tackling and co-existing with ‘Radical Islam’ in Mathura
By Twocircles.net Staff Reporter,
Delhi: A three-day international conference sponsored by Indian Council of Social Science Research on ‘How to understand and co-exist with radical...
Muslims should not become defensive: preventing radicalisation remains a top necessity
By Kaleem Kawaja for Twocircles.net
In the last one year, there has been an upsurge in terrorism committed by a variety of terrorist groups from...
Iraq, economic ties on agenda of Rice’s historic Libya visit
By DPA,
Tripoli : US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice met with her Libyan counterpart Friday after she arrived here on a landmark visit to discuss ways to boost cooperation between the two countries.
Rice and Libyan Foreign Minister Abdul Rahman Shulqum expressed satisfaction over improving bilateral relations. They discussed economic cooperation between the two countries, especially in the oil sector.
88 killed in accidents during Eid holiday in Yemen
By DPA,
Sanaa : At least 88 people were killed and 582 others injured in traffic accidents in Yemen over the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival, the police said Saturday.
The traffic police said in a statement the Arab country's roads witnessed 360 accidents during the period from Dec 4 to 12.
The figure is nearly double the number of fatalities during the Eid al-Fitr festivities two months ago, when 48 people died in road accidents nationwide.
Excessive speed, recklessness and chewing the mild stimulant drug of qat by drivers, were to blame for those accidents, the statement said.
Probe into Kerry-Lugar funds’ embezzlement by NGOs in Pakistan
By Awais Saleem, IANS,
UAE’s Etisalat chairman named World CEO of 2010
By IANS,
Abu Dhabi : Mohammed Omran, the CEO of UAE's telecommunication service provider Etisalat, has been named the World CEO of 2010 at a ceremony in Britain, it was announced Saturday.
Textracts: rumor-mongering
By Muhammad Tariq Ghazi,
Whoever intentionally attributes to me something that I did not say or do has made his abode in the Hellfire.
The Rasool-Allah
Pakistan salutes its own Mohammad Rafi
By IANS,
Islamabad: Pakistanis paid rich tributes on the 16th death anniversary of legendary playback singer Masood Rana, who was widely known as "Pakistani Rafi".
Pakistan mulls panel to probe fake drugs deaths
By IANS,
Islamabad: Pakistan may set up a judicial panel to probe over 100 deaths due to spurious drugs in its Punjab province.
Bangladesh to observe Earth Hour
By IANS,
Dhaka : The Bangladeshi government has decided to observe Earth Hour 2012 and it will urge the people not to use power during that time, an official said Thursday.
School principal killed in Pakistan
By IANS,
Islamabad : A school principal and his 12-year-old son were shot dead in Pakistan while they were going to their school in a car, police said.
Saudi Arabia, UAE to attend Global Investors Summit in MP
By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,
Pakistan cricket mourns Pataudi’s death
By IANS,
Islamabad: Pakistanis Friday paid tribute to former Indian cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who died in New Delhi aged 70.
Pakistan-Tajikistan road to cost Rs.2 bn
By IANS,
Islamabad : A road that would connect Pakistan with Tajikistan is estimated to cost Rs.2 billion.
1,500-year-old handwritten Bible kept in Turkish museum
By IANS,
Ankara : A handwritten Bible, believed to be 1,500 years old, is stored at a museum here. The 52-page Bible is written in Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke.
SIO Hyderabad shows solidarity with Palestinians
By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
UAE, Yemen discuss cooperation
By IANS/WAM,
Abu Dhabi : UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his visiting Yemeni counterpart Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi Sunday discussed ways to promote cooperation.
Five Odisha workers stranded in Iraq
Bhubaneswar: At least five workers from Odisha have been stranded in strife-torn Iraq, an official said Saturday.
All the labourers, mostly plumbers, are from Kendrapada...
Saudi Arabia recruiting maids aged between 25 and 50
Dubai : The age of Indian domestic workers looking for employment in Saudi Arabia has been set between 25 and 50 years under a...
Obama visited Pakistan in 1981, talks about his friends
By APP
New York : Barack Obama, the front-runner in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, cited a 1981 visit to Pakistan while he was a college student, as he countered rivals’ accusations that he lacks foreign policy experience.
Senator Obama, an African-American, also made reference to his ties to relatives in poor villages in Kenya and the years he spent growing up in Indonesia, and says he has real-life experience of foreign countries.
UAE begins production at offshore gas field
By IANS,
Umm Al Qaiwain (UAE) : The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has started producing gas from the offshore field located 20 km off Umm Al Qaiwain (UAQ) emirate, WAM news agency reported Monday.
According to UAQ Crown Prince Sheikh Saud Bin Rashid Al Mulla, up to 92 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of wet gas has been produced from the well as of last Friday.
The gas would be transported through an undersea pipeline for processing to the Rakgas plant in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK).
Will Musharraf find his new home in US?
By IANS,
Washington : A senior US official's reported remark that former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf was free to go wherever he wants has set off speculation about his new home.
Musharraf "is a free man and should be able to go wherever he wants," Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Richard Boucher was cited by the Associated Press of Pakistan as telling the Voice of America in response to a question about his future plans.
Women-only police intelligence unit raised in Bangladesh
By IANS,
Dhaka : In a first, the police in Bangladesh have introduced a women-only special intelligence branch to fight the sex trade, drug peddling and trafficking in women and children.
The Special Women Police Contingent (SWPC) would gain access to "the world of women criminals" which is not easy for men to do, said Naim Ahmed, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner.
Iraqi PM not to sue Bush shoe thrower
Baghdad, Dec 21 (Xinhua) Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki Sunday said he would not file a lawsuit against the reporter who threw his shoes at US President George W. Bush during a news conference here last week.
"I will yield my personal right (to file lawsuit) over the Zaidi case, but I will not relinquish the right of the state of Iraq and its guest in suing Zaidi," Maliki told reporters here.
Muntadhar al-Zaidi, 29, a reporter of the Cairo-based Baghdadiya television, was taken in custody last Sunday after he threw his shoes on the visiting President Bush.
Taliban’s jizya is extortion, nothing to do with Islam: Indian Muslim leaders
By TwoCircles.net news desk,
New Delhi: Indian Muslim religious leaders have unanimously condemned in strongest terms the Pakistani Taliban’s kidnapping, extortion of huge amounts of money from Sikh community as “Jizya” and demolition of the houses and shops of those who fail to pay the demanded sums.
Massive Roman-era garrison found in Syria
By DPA,
Damascus : Archaeologists in Syria have found what they believe was the largest Roman garrison in the Middle East, SANA news agency reported Saturday.
German archaeologists discovered the site, which spreads over three hectares (30,000 square metres), at al-Rifniah, in the northern Syrian province of Hama, the report said.
Experts described the fort as the largest Roman military outpost in the region. It was discovered following mentions of the outpost in documentary evidence and engravings, SANA said.
UAE to deport boy for giving camel electric shock
By IANS,
Abu Dhabi: A court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has ordered the deportation of a 17-year-old boy for giving electric shock to a camel, WAM news agency reported Monday.
The boy, referred to only by his initials ASW, was caught shocking a racing camel with an electric device to boost the animal's performance. He has already served one and a half months' prison term, the report said.
70,000 Arab graduates migrate for overseas jobs annually
By IANS,
Dubai : Some 70,000 Arab university graduates migrate annually to foreign countries for jobs, while 54 percent of Arab students studying abroad do not return to their native places, resulting in huge economic losses for governments in the region, WAM news agency reported.
Forged visas, 15 months, and 22 harassed Indian engineers in Saudia
By Naushad Katipalla for TwoCircles.net,
Riyadh (Saudi Arabia): A group of 22 Indian engineers, who have been desperate to return home for over 15 months, heaved a huge sigh of relief on Thursday when their first batch left for India after their case was set on following the intervention of the Riyadh Governorate.
Earlier somebody forged the official papers of one company and attained 50 visas of various nationalities and Indian visa has been sold to ABT, Recruitment Agency, Mumbai, India.
Zardari met Taliban leaders in prison: Report
By IANS,
London : Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari recently met captured Taliban leaders in a prison to assure them that the outfit had his government's full support, a media report said Sunday.
Zardari also assured the Taliban prisoners that they would be released soon, The Sunday Times reported.
A senior Taliban source in regular contact with members of the Quetta shura (Taliban war council) told The Sunday Times that in early April, Zardari along with a senior Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) official met 50 high-ranking Taliban members at a prison in Pakistan.
Jamia alumni celebrate 94th foundation day in Riyadh
By TCN News,
Riyadh, KSA: Jamia Millia Islamia Alumni Association Riyadh Chapter, commemorated the Foundation Day of their University at a gala event held in Riyadh on December 12. Aside from an impressive panel of guests, the vast numbers of alumni and their friends and family participated in this annual event.
India Islamic Cultural Center should have Lucknow branch: UP minister
By TCN News,
Riyadh: Uttar Pradesh’s Minister of Panchayati Raj Kamal Akhtar has assured that he would exert efforts to facilitate the allotment of land for the construction of India Islamic Cultural Centre (IICC) branch in Lucknow.
Six civilians injured in Pakistani shelling in Kashmir
Jammu: Six civilians were injured Saturday due to Pakistani shelling on the international border in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba and Kathua districts, forcing scores...
Paris: Peshawar and Boko Haram – Religion, Politics and Violence
The question is; are such acts due to Islam or Muslims as such? How does one understand the association of label of religion with acts of violence and terror?
By Ram Puniyani,
Massacre of hundreds of children in Peshawar by Pakistani Taliban; the atrocities – murders-kidnappings by Boko Haram, an Islamist group and the attack on Paris cartoon magazine Charlie Hebdo killing 12 have occurred in a short span of few months. The popular perception of relationship between violence and Islam got a further boost. The phrase ‘Islamic Terrorism’, which was created by US media in the aftermath of 9/11, got a further shot in the arms. It got a booster dose of unprecedented level. The debates regarding freedom of expression, sharia laws, education for girls continued to be in the fore and columns after column either dissociating Islam from these mindless acts or boosting the perception of Muslims being in the business of merciless killing of their own kith and other with gay abandon; dominated the visual and print media in January 2015.
What is in the Iran nuclear deal?
Washington : The P5+1 group of world powers led by the US have announced a "framework agreement" with Iran limiting its nuclear programme. The...
Lakhvi saga shows Pakistan’s hypocrisy, says daily
Islamabad : Hours before Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi walked free on Friday, a leading Pakistani newspaper pulled up Islamabad for its failure to convict the...
182 people killed in six days in Yemen: UNHCRC
Geneva : At least 182 civilians had been killed in Yemen between May 4 and 10 in "the deadliest period since fighting began in...
Madrid Mayor’s soothing slogan against post Brussels rightwing hysteria
By Saeed Naqvi
If “terrorize” and “polarize” is the name of the game, the message from the Brussels terror attack has been transmitted to Madrid...
US aid worker, Syrian soldiers beheaded by IS
Baghdad: A video has been circulating online purporting to show members of the Islamic State(IS) group beheading several Syrian soldiers and a US aid...
India needs alternative politics to protect its values: SDPI’s Thumbe
By TCN News,
Al Ain (UAE): Addressing a convention of Indian Cultural Society here, Elyas Muhammad Thumbe, a member of the national working committee of Social Democratic Party of India, said even after 67 years of independence, the situation of deprived, backward sections and the people of rural areas in India is deteriorating as they are severely lacking basic amenities and infrastructure.
Modi arrives in UAE, received by Abu Dhabi crown prince
Abu Dhabi : Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday arrived in the UAE, in the first prime ministerial visit after three decades....
Sri Lanksns to get 100,000 more jobs in Qatar
By NNN-Govt Portal
Colombo : Sri Lanka will be sending 100,000 persons for employment in Qatar following an agreement reached during the talks between Qatar's Minister of Labour Dr. Sultan Al Dawsary and Sri Lanka's Minister of Foreign Employment and Welfare Development Keheliya Rambukwella.
This will boost the number of Sri Lankan employed in Qatar to 230,000. The employment opportunities will be open for skilled workers in the construction field and artisans, according to ministry sources.
Iraq apex court orders parliament to reconvene
BY DPA,
Baghdad: Iraq's Supreme Court Sunday ordered the country's parliament to reconvene, after nearly eight months of political stalemate following inconclusive elections in March.
Pakistani woman electrocuted to death for eloping
By IANS,
Islamabad: A 20-year-old woman in Pakistan's Sindh province was electrocuted to death as punishment for eloping with a man, police said.
UAE charity pays fees for 2,800 pupils
By IANS/WAM,
Abu Dhabi: A charity organisation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) paid school fees for around 2,800 needy students in 2010.
New Zealand ready to fly out nationals from Egypt
By IANS,
Wellington : New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said Monday that the government may consider using defence force planes to get New Zealanders out of Egypt if the situation worsens.
Ancient Persian cairn wall found in Iran
By IANS,
Tehran : A cairn wall belonging to the Parthian Empire (247 BC - 224 AD) in ancient Persia was discovered in northern Iran.
Pakistan forex reserves remain unchanged at $17.3 bn
By IANS,
Islamabad : Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves remained unchanged from the previous week at $17.3 billion for the week ending Nov 11, the central bank said.
Shoaib Akhtar escapes unhurt in accident
By IANS,
Islamabad : Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar escaped unhurt after his car crashed into a roadside concrete block near Prime Minister Secretariat here.
Three Pakistan Navy officers convicted for Karachi attack
By IANS,
Islamabad : Three Pakistan Navy officers have been convicted for their negligence of security measures during a deadly attack at the PNS Mehran base in Karachi last year.
Saudi crown prince dies in Geneva at 78
By IANS,
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia's heir apparent Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud breathed his last Saturday at a Geneva hospital following an illness, Al Jazeera reported. He was 78.
UAE, Australia sign nuclear energy cooperation pact
By IANS/WAM,
Abu Dhabi : The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Australia have signed an agreement for cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Eight militants killed in Pakistan
By IANS,
Islamabad : Eight militants were killed in fighting with the security forces in Pakistan Sunday.