Pakistan amends rules for Musharraf re-election
By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS
Islamabad : The Election Commission of Pakistan has amended the rules governing presidential candidates to pave the way for Pervez Musharraf's re-election as president for five more years, a minister said Sunday.
"The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) has amended the rules and now President Musharraf is very much eligible to contest for another five-year term," Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sher Afgan told IANS.
Sharif meets Saudi king, his party upbeat
By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS
Islamabad : News reports about Nawaz Sharif's meeting with Saudi King Abdullah have infused new life into his party leaders and workers here who were demoralised after the former Pakistani prime minister was sent into forced exile when he landed in Islamabad from London last week.
A brief statement by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said that King Abdullah met Sharif in Jeddah. No more details were given except that both exchanged "cordial talks".
Discrimination, attacks on minorities in Bangladesh worry US
By IANS
Dhaka : Political discrimination and "attacks" on religious and ethnic minorities continue to be a problem in Bangladesh, a US report has said.
"Hindu, Christian and Buddhist minorities experienced discrimination and sometimes violence... Harassment of Ahmadiyyas continued along with protests demanding that Ahmadiyyas be declared non-Muslims," the report said.
The report, released by the US Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour Saturday, said protests demanding that Ahmadiyyas be declared non-Muslim and instances of harassment continued sporadically.
Russian nuclear fuel for Iranian plant ready: Tehran
By DPA
Tehran : Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that Russian nuclear fuel for a joint nuclear-power plant in the southern Iranian port of Bushehr was ready and sealed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Mottaki did not say when the fuel would be delivered to Bushehr by Russian firm Atomstroiexport, while the US has repeatedly called on Russia not to deliver nuclear material to Iran.
Delhi cop arrested for molesting woman
By IANS
New Delhi : A Delhi Police constable was arrested Saturday on the charges of sexually harassing a young woman after she alleged a police station in south Delhi initially refused to even register her complaint.
The woman, who lives in Chittaranjan Park in south Delhi and works as domestic help, alleged that constable Niranjan Toppo, posted at the nearby Lajpat Nagar police station, had repeatedly abused her verbally in the past few days and tried to molest her sexually Saturday morning.
Mayawati government to appeal against order on Urdu teachers
By IANS
Lucknow : The Uttar Pradesh government will appeal against an order of the Allahabad High Court quashing the selection process for appointment of 13,000 Urdu teachers in the state, a top official said Saturday.
"We will make an appeal before the Supreme Court," a senior official and aide of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati told IANS on the condition of anonymity.
The court Friday annulled the recruitment of teachers made by the previous Mulayam Singh Yadav regime.
Militants reject Hamas’ call to halt attacks
By Xinhua
Gaza : The armed wing of Islamic jihad movement Saturday rejected Hamas movement's calls for halting attacks on Gaza crossing points controlled by Israel.
Abu Hamza, spokesman of Jihad armed wing Al-Quds Brigades, told reporters that his group "would reject Hamas government spokesman's calls."
On Wednesday, Taher el-Nouno, a spokesman for the deposed Hamas-led government in Gaza, called on militant groups to stop attacking crossing points, mainly commercial ones, on the borders with Israel during the month of Ramadan.
Army against ceasefire during Ramadan
By IANS
Udhampur : The Indian Army does not favour a ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan as it has apprehensions that the truce might give an opportunity to the militants to regroup and pose a bigger security threat during winter.
Lt. Gen. H.S. Panag, general officer commanding in chief of the Northern Command, told media persons at the Northern Command headquarters here Saturday that any ceasefire during this month, especially ahead of winter, would offer a chance to militants to regroup and rearm themselves.
Musharraf offers ‘hand of friendship’ to chief justice
By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS
Islamabad : President Pervez Musharraf, facing tough opposition to his re-election for another five years, has extended a "hand of friendship" to Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, who was reinstated in August by the Supreme Court after four months of suspension.
On Friday, Musharraf sent his chief of staff, Lt. Gen. (retired) Hamid Javed, to meet the chief justice at his chamber in the Supreme Court, a report by television channel AAJ said Saturday.
Farzana to get free education for saving five
By IANS
Patna : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has rewarded 15-year-old Farzana with free education for saving five persons from drowning in a flooded river two days back, officials sources said Saturday.
"Nitish Kumar ordered Purnea District Magistrate to arrange free education for her," official sources in his office said.
Farzana, a school dropout, rescued a woman, three children and a man Thursday, when a boat carrying nearly a dozen people and two motorcycles capsized in the flooded Panar river in Purnea district.
Shia insurgent leader killed in Iraq
By Xinhua
Baghdad : US and Iraqi forces killed a top Shia militant during a raid on an area in the city of Diwaniyah, the US military said Saturday.
Najah al-Agra, also known as Abu-Ali, was killed during the operation Thursday, 160 km south of Baghdad, a military statement said.
According to the statement, al-Agra was the leader of a group of more than 25 militiamen, allegedly accused of conducting attacks against the US-led multinational forces, including a July mortar attack on the coalition base in Diwaniyah.
Curfew in parts of Udaipur after clash
By IANS
Udaipur : Curfew was clamped in a locality of Udaipur, the city of palaces, after some members of two sects of a Muslim community clashed over offering prayers in a mosque.
"At least five persons were injured in the clash when some members of the two sects of the Bohra community clashed with each other over a dispute to offer namaz in a mosque here," a senior police official told IANS.
"To control the mob we first resorted to baton charge and later clamped curfew in Bohrawadi area of the city at 9.30 a.m.," he said.
HC annuls appointment of Urdu teachers
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Allahabad : In a judgement pronounced Friday the Allahabad High Court termed the previous Mulayam Singh Yadav government's appointment of 13,000 Urdu teachers in primary schools as illegal and contrary to statutory rules. The High Court quashed advertisements and government orders published in this regard.
Six Taliban militants killed in Afghanistan
By Xinhua
Kabul : Six Taliban insurgents were killed when they attacked a private US security company in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, a local official said Saturday.
A group of Taliban rebels raided a convoy of the USPI security company in Gereshk district on Friday afternoon, district chief Abdul Manaf told Xinhua.
The company's guards and local policemen fought back, killing six of the rebels and injuring two others, he said, adding that there were no casualties among the guards or the police.
Hoax bomb scare at Sri Sri’s event in Kosovo
By IANS
Bangalore : A bomb scare halted a public event addressed by spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Kosovo.
Hundreds of people had to be evacuated from the banquet hall of Victory Hotel in Priština Friday following the bomb scare.
"Sri Sri had just started a guided meditation after delivering a public talk when the personnel of a United Nation bomb squad intervened and led the evacuation. No bomb was found at the venue and the police are investigating the matter," said Snjezana Nisevic of the Art of Living's Kosovo branch.
Musharraf to quit uniform after election: ruling party leader
By Xinhua
Islamabad : Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf will quit his uniform after presidential election to be held in the first week of October, the secretary general of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Qaid (PML-Q) Mushahid Hussain Sayed said Saturday.
He welcomed the Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) Chairperson Benazir Bhutto's announcement to return to Pakistan on Oct 18 and said, "Her return is timely, which shows she doesn't want to sabotage the presidential election," Geo TV channel reported.
The PPP announced Friday that Bhutto would return to Pakistan on Oct 18.
Al Qaeda claims it killed Iraqi Sunni tribal leader
By Xinhua
Cairo : An Al Qaeda group in Iraq has claimed responsibility for the killing of an Iraqi Sunni tribal leader, al-Jazeera TV channel reported.
The report said that the self-styled Islamic group Friday called the killing of Abdul Sattar Abu Risha a "heroic operation". Its statement could not be authenticated, but it was posted on a main Islamist web site.
The Sunni tribal leader Abu Risha, who was backed by the US and Iraqi governments to fight the Al Qaeda network in Iraq, was killed in a roadside bomb attack Thursday.
Four US soldiers killed in Iraq bomb attack
By Xinhua
Baghdad : Four American soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb explosion in Iraq's volatile Diyala province northeast of Baghdad, the US military said Saturday.
The blast took place near the vehicle in which the soldiers were travelling Friday, a military statement said without providing further details.
The names of the soldiers are being withheld pending notification to their next of kin, it added.
Bhutto to face corruption charges after return
By IANS
Islamabad : Exiled former prime minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto could return to Pakistan but she will have to face corruption charges.
Bhutto would not be deported in the manner of Nawaz Sharif who was sent to Saudi Arabia hours after landing at the Islamabad International Airport Monday, local newspaper Daily Times quoted Pakistan's Deputy Information Minister Tariq Azim as saying.
However, Bhutto will have to face corruption charges that have been filed against her, the newspaper reported Saturday.
Estranged husband stabs wife 17 times
By IANS
Kolkata : After years of marital discord, a man stabbed his estranged wife 17 times and gouged out her eyes at Shibpur in Howrah district near here.
Nurjahan Begum, the victim, has been admitted to Howrah State General Hospital in a serious condition. Her husband, Sirajul Molla, has been arrested.
Police said Sirajul, 40, had lured Nurjahan, 35, to the Shibpur Botanical Garden on Friday evening to offer money to fund their children's education.
Dhaka to move IAEA for nuclear plants
By IANS
Dhaka : Armed with a tentative Russian offer of help, Bangladesh is seeking to move the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for setting up nuclear power plants in the country.
Energy Adviser Tapan Chowdhury is in Vienna to attend the IAEA's 51st annual general conference, where he is expected to hold talks with Mohamed El Baradei, director general of the world atomic energy watchdog, on the sidelines of the conference.
No political role for army in Bangladesh, says Ahmed
By IANS
Dhaka : Bangladesh's caretaker government head Fakhruddin Ahmed has rebutted criticism that the country is placed under dual rule, saying the army was merely "assisting" the government in "curbing corruption" and maintaining law and order and did not have any political role.
No deal, but Benazir, government agree to play ball
By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS
Islamabad : The Pakistan government may not be very hopeful of a deal with Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), but the two sides have agreed on some confidence building measures (CBMs), a government official said Saturday.
"Under these CBMs the PPP will not create any problem in re-election of President Pervez Musharraf while the government will not create any hurdles in party chief Benazir Bhutto's return to Pakistan," he told IANS requesting anonymity.
Palestinians in Lebanon are haunted by history
By DPA
Chatilla (Lebanon) : Dressed in plastic slippers and an undershirt, Abu Jamal sits in his damp home located in the Chatilla Palestinian refugee camp on Beirut's outskirts as the camp marks the 25th anniversary of the massacre that marred its history.
Unfolding a small photo album, Jamal recaps the ugly memories of the 1982 Sabra and Chatilla massacre in which some 3,000 Palestinian refugees were slaughtered by Christian militiamen to avenge the assassination of president Bashir Gemayel.
Jamal was among the lucky ones who survived, but his two sons were not.
Delhi woman teacher accused of molesting girl student
By IANS
New Delhi : Even as the controversy in the city over a fake TV sting involving a woman teacher continues to simmer, another sex case surfaced Friday - this time of a woman teacher charged with sexually molesting one of her girl students.
"We have registered a case of sexual abuse against Meena Tuli, a teacher with Gargi Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in south Delhi, after one of her students made the accusation," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (south Delhi) N.S. Bundela told IANS.
Film producer arrested in Delhi for human trafficking
By IANS
New Delhi : A Bollywood film producer has been arrested here along with his accomplice for allegedly helping several people immigrate abroad on tampered travel documents, the police said Friday.
Sleuths of the Delhi Police's Special Cell arrested Irshad Ahmed, 30, and Bikram Kesari Sahu, 32, from Nehru Place area in south Delhi Wednesday after they received a tip-off from the Mumbai Police about the immigration racket.
Benazir Bhutto plans return to Pakistan on Oct 18
By Xinhua
Islamabad : Exiled former prime minister and chairperson of Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Benazir Bhutto, will return to Pakistan on Oct 18, her party announced Friday.
Bhutto will land in port city Karachi, where she will pay tribute to a monument of the nation's founding father Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the PPP said at a press conference telecast live by TV channels.
Militants free 11 soldiers in Pakistan
By IANS
Islamabad : Pro-Taliban militants active in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province Friday released 11 security personnel, two days after capturing them, Geo news agency reported quoting the police.
Police chief of Bannu, one of the 24 districts of NWFP, Hamza Masud confirmed that the Frontier Corps personnel, who were released unconditionally, had arrived in the town.
The soldiers were kidnapped Wednesday when the tribal rebels raided a checkpost at the Barren Bridge, Masud said.
Iran president to attend UN General Assembly
By RIA Novosti
Tehran : Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will attend the 62nd session of the UN General Assembly beginning Sep 18 in New York, Iranian media reported Friday.
The president will be accompanied by a high-ranking delegation.
Ahmadinejad will meet several head of state, as well as representatives of the Iranian diaspora in the US.
Following his two-day visit to New York, he will travel to Caracas in Venezuela to meet President Hugo Chavez, an outspoken critic of the US foreign policy.
Suicide tanker bomb kills 11 in Iraq
By Xinhua
Tikrit : A suicide fuel tanker bomb struck a police checkpoint in the town of Beiji in Salahudin province, 200 km north of Baghdad, Friday killing 11 persons, nine of them policemen, and wounding eight, a source in the provincial police headquarters here said.
"A suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden fuel tanker at a police checkpoint near the Mashallah Restaurant on the southern entrance of Beiji," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
150 injured in Bangladesh clashes
By IANS
Dhaka : Over 150 people were injured, some critically, in Bangladesh Friday in clashes between the police and garment workers and students on the outskirts of the capital city.
Angry garment factory workers, demanding higher wages, clashed with the police at the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ), resulting in injuries to about 100 workers, Star Online said quoting a report of ATN Bangla television channel.
The workers ransacked several garment factories in the Savar area.
Dr. Dayal welcomes TN reservations, but Dalit Christians & Muslims still need same protection...
By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net
Bhopal : Dr. John Dayal, Member of the National Integration Council, Secretary General of the All India Christian Council and President of the All India Catholic Union, has welcomed the announcement of the Tamil Nadu Government yesterday giving a seven per cent quota for Muslims and Christians in the state.
We don’t know Dawood’s whereabouts: Pakistani officials
By IANS
New Delhi : Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials Friday denied knowledge about the whereabouts of mob boss Dawood Ibrahim, India's most wanted fugitive accused of having masterminded the 1993 Mumbai serial bombings that killed 257 people.
"We have no idea about Dawood's location and this is all we can say," Ammar H. Jaffari, a top FIA official told IANS on the sidelines of the 7th Interpol Conference on cyber crimes which concluded here Friday.
Musharraf not eligible to contest: Bhutto
By IANS
New Delhi : As she readies to return to her country after seven years in exile, Pakistan's former prime minister Benazir Bhutto has denied any power-sharing deal with President Pervez Musharraf and stressed that he is not eligible to contest the elections expected later this year.
Thailand insists Tamil Tiger financier not in its custody
By DPA
Bangkok : Thai authorities Friday assured visiting Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee that Tamil Tiger financier Kumaran Padmanathan was not in their custody, as some media reported earlier.
"We are informed that the person concerned is not in the possession of Thai authorities," Mukherjee told a press conference after meeting his Thai counterpart Nitya Pibulsonggram.
According to unconfirmed news reports, Interpol had arrested Kumaran, a key arms supplier for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), here Sep 10.
LeT Comndr among 4 militants killed in Kishtwar, local claim civilians
By News Agency of Kashmir
Kishtwar: Police and army claimed to have gunned down four Lashker-e-Toiba militants, including one of its commanders, in a joint encounter at Kaishwan forest area of Kishtwar, this morning. However, contrary to the claims of the police, locals said that two of them were civilians.
Kashmiri villagers protest against army; 29 hurt as solider respond with rifle buts
By News Agency of Kashmir
Srinagar: At least 29 villagers were injured when they were allegedly given severe thrashing by the army personnel - who were conducting house to house searches – triggering massive protest demonstrations at Kulpora, Chukarpora in Pulwama district of South Kashmir.
The demonstration rock the village after troops of 55 RR allegedly misbehaved with some women of the village during house to house search operations. About four persons were given severe thrashing after they objected to the remarks passed by the jawans.
Attack on tourist bus: Police solves case, arrests 4 LeT militants
By News Agency of Kashmir
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir police today claimed to have solved the grenade attack on a tourist bus - which left three persons dead and number of others injured in the month of July – by arresting four LeT militants.
An official spokesman said that the special team of the police constituted to investigate the attack on tourist bus zeroed in on four Lashker cadres, who were directly responsible for carrying out the attack.
Protests continue in Sopore town over alleged `fake encounter’
College students took to streets; 9 injured as police resorts to baton charge
By News Agency of Kashmir
Srinagar: About nine students were injured when police resorted to baton charge to disperse a strong mob of undergraduates of Government Degree College Sopore, who were protesting killing of one of their fellow student allegedly in a fake encounter by the security forces in Rafiabad area.
Reports reaching here revealed that the students of the college boycotted their classes on Thursday and staged a sit in outside the campus.
Oldest surviving Kashmiri dies at age 154
By News Agency of Kashmir
Srinagar: The oldest surviving Kashmiri – 154 year old – man breathed his last today after a in a remote village of Pulwama district in South Kashmir, this morning.
Informed sources told News Agency of Kashmir that the oldest surviving Kashmiri Abdul Gani Bhat, 154 yrs, resident of Bumara, Pulwama died today after a brief illness, at his native village.
Remember contributions of Muslim Americans to US: Nancy Pelosi
By TwoCircles.net news desk
Washington, D.C. : The Speaker of the US House of Representative Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today to commemorate the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began on 13th of September 2007:
“Ramadan is a time for prayer, fasting, inner reflection, and charity for the more than 1 billion Muslims around the world. As Muslims observe this holy month, it is also a time for all Americans to remember and celebrate the many contributions of Muslim Americans to our country.
Stop using mobile phones, CPI-Maoist tells its cadres
By IANS
Ranchi : Perturbed by the rising of number of arrests of its leaders, the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) has issued a directive to its cadres not to use mobile phones.
The Bihar and Jharkhand Special Area Committee (BJSAC) issued the directive to its cadres early this month.
On Sep 9, the police destroyed a CPI-Maoist bunker in the Saranda forest of Chaibasa district. The police recovered two mobile phones and many incriminating documents.
Arab League shuns Bush’s Mideast meet until goals clear
By RIA Novosti
Cairo : None of the 22 Arab League countries will participate in the US-proposed Mideast peace conference in November until its goals have been clarified, the head of the Arab League has said.
Amr Moussa also said Thursday the list of participating countries has to be coordinated before the organisation backs the conference.
The Bush administration has proposed holding a conference in the US to discuss the problems that have been holding back peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, and to pave the way for the creation of a unified Palestinian state.
Most of Bangladesh prone to earthquakes: expert
By IANS
Dhaka : Though prospects of a tsunami hitting Bangladesh are remote, most parts of the country and neighbouring India's northeast region are prone to serious earthquakes, an expert here has said.
Some 38 earthquakes of small to medium magnitude were felt in Bangladesh in the first eight months of the current year, with August itself recording as many as 14 tremors, said Professor Mehdi Ahmed Ansary of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).
Twelve earthquakes this year were of magnitude 5 and above on the Richter scale.
Four LeT militants killed in Kashmir
By IANS
Jammu : Four militants of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit were killed by security forces who had laid out a trap for them in Jammu and Kashmir's heavily forested Kishtwar district early Friday, police here said.
Police had been tipped off that the militants were moving around in the mountainous forest area of Keshma in Kishtwar district. The army and police managed to establish contact with them and trapped them.
They were killed after a three-hour gunfight.
Security blanket covers jittery Hyderabad as Ramadan begins
By IANS
Hyderabad : A thick security blanket has been thrown around this historic city in view of the Muslim holy month Ramadan, which began Friday, and the 10-day Ganesha festival, starting Saturday.
The city is in state of alert since two near-simultaneous blasts rocked the city on Aug 25, killing 44 people and injuring 50 others.
Bangladeshis return home as tsunami warnings end
By IANS
Dhaka : Over a million people in Bangladesh's southern coasts returned home after a dreadful overnight stay at cyclone shelters and wherever else they could find high ground after authorities lifted a tsunami warning in the early hours of Thursday.
"Some people started leaving the shelters before dawn after hearing the announcement of withdrawal of tsunami warning," regional director of Red Crescent Salauddin Chowdhury was quoted as saying.
Bahrain launches rights booklet for expatriate workers
By IANS
Dubai : To make foreign workers aware of their rights and obligations after they land in Bahrain for work, the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) has come out with a new guide.
"The Foreign Employees Guide, in English and Arabic, aims to inform all foreign workers about their rights and obligations under the LMRA Act," LMRA chief executive Ali Radhi was quoted as saying by Gulf Daily News.
Ali Radhi said the new booklet would be distributed to the expatriate community through embassies, clubs and organisations.
Dhaka to give ultimatum to Saudi prince on bank deal
By IANS
Dhaka : The Bangladesh Government is to give a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum to a prominent Saudi Arabian prince who purchased the state-owned Rupali Bank last August but has not taken charge.
The government is considering cancelling the lengthy negotiation process of handing over the bank's control if Prince Bandar, a prominent businessman, does not give his final response about taking over the bank within this month, the Daily Star said Friday.
Anti-Al Qaeda Sunni tribal leader killed in Iraq
By DPA
Baghdad : Ten days after meeting US President George W. Bush, tribal leader and head of the Anbar Salvation Council Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha was killed 50 metres from his home in Ramadi in Iraq's Anbar province, media reports said.
A bomb struck the Sunni leader's convoy Thursday, immediately killing Abu Risha, his driver and two security guards, the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) reported, citing senior officer Mohamed al-Alwani of the Ramadi police.
Seventeen soldiers among 67 killed in Pakistan
By DPA
Islamabad : At least 50 militants and 17 soldiers were killed in clashes and a suicide attack in north-west Pakistan, even as President Pervez Musharraf assured US diplomats of his "firm resolve" to fight terrorism.
"Last night (Thursday night) four checkpoints were attacked in the Razmak area of North Waziristan. That attack was beaten back and we have reports that up to 50 militants were killed," army spokesman Waheed Arshad told DPA.
Of sleek cabs and stereos in Aizawl
By Sangzuala Hmar, IANS
Aizawl : The northeastern state of Mizoram may be located in an isolated mountainous terrain, but its capital Aizawl could be a treat for enthusiasts of latest car gadgets and stereos fitted into sleek cabs.
It would cost just Rs.10 for a passenger to choose his brand of new cars - flag down a taxi or call an operator to send you a cab, and zoom comes a brand new Santro, an Alto, Tata Indigo, or a Matiz.
Jihad Union hard-pressed to explain strange statement
By DPA
Istanbul : A statement published on the internet by the Islamic Jihad Union from Uzbekistan claiming responsibility for a plot to attack the US airbase in Germany's Ramstein has raised more questions than it answered.
Firstly, why would a terrorist organisation admit to planning an attack that has already been prevented by the security forces in the planning stages?
10 soldiers killed, many injured in Pakistan blast
By Xinhua
Islamabad : At least 10 soldiers were killed and several wounded Thursday when a blast rocked a security officers' building at Tarbela in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) close to capital Islamabad, TV channels reported.
Geo TV reported that the blast, believed to be a suicide attack, occurred in a dining area of the military commandos 'Special Services Group' at Tarbela, about 50 km northwest of here.
10 killed, several injured in Pakistan blast
By Xinhua
Islamabad : A blast Thursday rocked an officers' mess at Tarbela Ghazi, an area in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province close to the country's capital Islamabad, television channels reported.
Private Aaj TV quoted army spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad as saying that 10 people were killed in the explosion and several others injured.
The DAWN NEWS TV channel has said some 14 people are feared dead in the blast.
Now caste-based reservations for Tamil Nadu minorities
By IANS
Chennai : The Tamil Nadu government has cleared the decks to promulgate an ordinance to introduce reservations for Christians and Muslims of backward caste denominations to the extent of 3.5 percent each from Sep 14, Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi announced here Thursday.
But the catch is that these reservations will be part of the existing 30 percent quota set apart for Backward Castes (BC) - thus gingerly avoiding the pitfall of hurting the sentiments of Most Backward Castes (MBC) - which are the constituencies of caste-based outfits like PMK.
12 Taliban rebels, police killed in Afghan violence
By DPA
Kabul : Taliban rebels Thursday claimed they had killed 10 police officials in a roadside bomb blast in the Bati Kot district in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, one of the Taliban spokesmen, in a statement posted on their website, claimed that 10 police officials were killed in a roadside bomb blast in the Daud Khail area of the Bati Kot district in eastern Nangarhar province.
Nigerian held with cocaine in Delhi
By IANS
New Delhi : A Nigerian national has been arrested here with 30 gm of cocaine worth Rs.150,000 in the global market, the police said Thursday.
Oluwasegun Sesan, 28, a resident of Lagos in Nigeria, was arrested Wednesday evening after he arrived at Delhi's domestic airport in Go-Air, a private airline, from Mumbai to supply the said contraband in the capital.
Karunanidhi creates caste-based reservations for minorities
By T.S.V. Hari, IANS
Chennai : The Tamil Nadu government has cleared the decks to promulgate an ordinance that will make way for the introduction of reservations for Christians and Muslims of Backward Caste denominations to the extent of 3.5 percent each from Sep 15, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi announced here Thursday.
Sep 15 is the birth anniversary of DMK founder late C.N. Annadurai.
Rajasthan minister gets six-month jail term
By IANS
Jaipur : A lower court in Rajasthan's Rajsamand district, about 350 km from here, ordered six-month jail term to a junior minister in Vasundhara Raje's government.
Though the sentence was read out Tuesday, it was made public only on Thursday. The minister said he would appeal against the verdict to the higher court.
The court of a magistrate on Tuesday on an application filed in 2003 by the Mine & Safety Department found the minister, Surendra Singh Rathore, guilty under sections 66, 70 and 72(A) of the Mines Act, 1952.
Car bomb kills four in Baghdad
By Xinhua
Baghdad : A car bomb went off at a heavily-populated district in north-eastern Baghdad Thursday, killing four people and wounding 10 others, a well-informed police source said.
An explosives-rigged car parked near a square in the neighbourhood of Talbiyah detonated shortly before midday, killing four people and wounding ten others, the source said on condition of anonymity.
The blast damaged several nearby buildings and civilian cars, he said.
Palestine group plans month-long rocket attacks against Israel
By Xinhua
Gaza : The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), a militant group, Thursday announced rocket attacks against Israel lasting until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began today.
In a press statement, the PRC said its campaign, called "The Messages of Death," will include rocket attacks on Israeli cities and military bases alongside the Gaza Strip.
Iraqi-US forces arrest mastermind in Tuz bombings
By DPA
Baghdad : Joint Iraq-US forces have arrested the mastermind in July's market bombings in the predominantly Turkman district of Tuz during a military operation in the Sulaiman Bik area, independent Voices of Iraq news agency (VOI) reported Thursday.
Abd Dalian Mohammed, detained Wednesday evening, is believed to be a leading figure of the Al Qaeda-linked Islamic State in Iraq, an Iraqi police source was cited by the agency as saying.
Rajasthan village official in soup over strip search
By IANS
Jaipur : The Rajasthan government has issued a show-cause notice to a village official of Boraj in Ajmer district after the village council stripped its male members to find and punish a rapist-murderer.
"The patwari (a village-level official of the revenue department) was issued a show cause notice on Wednesday for not informing the district collector about the incident," officials told IANS.
Old Delhi gears up for Ramadan
By IANS
New Delhi : With Ramadan beginning in India on Friday, shops and eateries in Muslim-dominated areas like the walled city are decked up for the nightlong bustle through the holy Muslim month as the devout throng the area - with the fragrance of ittar permeating the atmosphere.
The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Ramadan or Ramzan, is an Islamic religious observance when the Quran was revealed. In this month, Muslims observe daylong fasts, from dawn to dusk.
Urdu daily helps Muslim girls find Muslim grooms
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Saharanpur : Muslim girls living in Nari Niketan here feel fed up with the life they are living as they see their Hindu counterparts being married off one after another with the efforts being made by some Hindu organisations, says a front-page report in New Delhi based Urdu daily Hindustan Express Wednesday.
The Express report adds that nine Muslim girls living in this Nari Niketan for years together, who have now attained marriageable age, do not find Muslim grooms.
Change in madrasa structure and syllabus is imperative: Maulana Saeed ur-Rahman
By Yoginder Sikand
Maulana Saeed ur-Rahman is the principal of the renowned Nadwat ul-'Ulama madrasa in Lucknow. In this interview with Yoginder Sikand he talks about allegations madrasas as well as the question of madrasa reforms
YS: What do you have to say about the current propaganda against madrasas as allegedly being 'dens of terror''?
Father kills newborn because she is a daughter
Ranchi, Sep 13 (IANS) Unhappy with the birth of a daughter, a man killed his newborn child in Dumka district of Jharkhand.
Police said Guddu Yadav, a resident of Sarkara village in Dumka district, around 450 km from Ranchi, was unhappy with his wife for delivering a girl child.
Guddu snatched the newborn and slammed her against the floor of the house Wednesday. The baby was rushed to hospital where she was declared brought dead.
Sumitra Devi, Guddu's wife, has lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against her husband.
Three remaining Afghan de-miners released
Kabul, Sep 13 (Xinhua) Militants released the last three of the 13 Afghan de-miners captured one week ago in the eastern Paktia province, an agency chief said Thursday.
With the mediation of local tribal elders, the abductors freed the three de-miners late Wednesday, said Kafayatullah Iblagh, director of the Afghan Technical Consultants (ATC) group, for which the mine clearers work.
All three were in good condition and had been shifted to the ATC's local office in the provincial capital Gardez, Iblagh said. But he did not identify the abductors.
30 tribal militants killed in Pakistan’s northwest
Wana (Pakistan), Sep 13 (IANS) Pakistani security forces have killed at least 30 tribal militants in fresh clashes in troubled South Waziristan along the border with Afghanistan.
The clashes occurred Wednesday in Makeen area in which gunmen with automatic weapons and rockets attacked several check posts of the security forces, Geo News reported Thursday quoting army officials.
Musharraf cagey on new army chief
Islamabad, Sep 13 (IANS) Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is being extremely cagey about who will succeed him as army chief - and while loyalty is a key factor, he could still spring a surprise, a media report Thursday said.
Musharraf, who is expected to shed his uniform by Nov 15, "is keeping his cards close to his chest and hardly anyone amongst the top military commanders has any idea as to who would be promoted to four-star general and appointed as vice chief of army staff (VCOAS) and as the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee (CJCSC)", The News reported.
Pesticides killing Pakistani vultures, other birds: experts
Lahore, Sep 13 (IANS) As in neighbouring India, vultures are facing extinction across Pakistan due to the increasing use of harmful chemicals and pesticides, while the falcon is threatened by hunting to meet demands from the Middle East, an expert says.
According to Zahid Baig Mirza, the extinction of vultures was being caused by the use of Diclofenac acid by veterinarians to treat animals.
Pakistani women face increasing abuse: report
Lahore, Sep 13 (IANS) Pakistani women are subject to increasing abuse, with 7,200 cases of violence reported last year - a staggering 5,000 of them in Punjab alone - a new report says quoting official figures.
The report of NGO White Ribbon Campaign (WRC) released Wednesday says that violence against women had taken many shapes and forms regardless of geographical location, culture or wealth.
According to the report, sexual harassment at the workplace, abuse, beating, and rape were some of the forms of violence against women.
Gangster wanted in 50 murders held at Gaya
Kolkata, Sep 13 (IANS) A Maoist activist-turned gangster wanted in 50 murder cases was arrested by a West Bengal Police team at Gaya railway station in Bihar.
Promode Singh, 35, also on the most-wanted list of Delhi Police, and one of his aides, Tapas, were arrested at Gaya railway station on Tuesday. He had escaped from a police lock-up in Howrah district's Dasnagar, 20 km from here, in 2005.
Pakistani gets death in Red Fort terror attack, six acquitted
New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Thursday upheld the death sentence for Pakistani national Mohammed Arif alias Mohammed Ashfaq while acquitting six others in the December 2000 Red Fort terror attack in which three people were killed.
A division bench headed by Justice R.S. Sodhi held Ashfaq, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant, guilty of waging war against the state in the terror attack on Dec 22, 2000, in which one civilian and two soldiers of the Rajputana Rifles were killed.
New platform for 11 radical left parties in Bangladesh
Dhaka, Sep 13 (IANS) Eleven radical left parties have floated a new political platform, the Democratic Left Alliance (DLA), with the objective of "materialising the ideology of left politics" and helping establish "a democratic Bangladesh".
They have attacked mainstream political parties and those left groups that engage in electoral and power politics.
NWFP women legislators want revised nikahnama
Islamabad, Sep 13 (IANS) Women members of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) assembly want a revised nikahnama, or wedding contract, on the lines of the one introduced in Punjab requiring brides and grooms to declare their previous marriages and children.
Misbah Kokab, a Punjab provincial assembly member, "has said that female parliamentarians from the NWFP have expressed an interest in adopting amendments to (its) Family Ordinance that would allow a revised nikahnama form to be regularised in the province", Daily Times reported Thursday.
US Democrats to reply polemic Iraq report
By NNN-Prensa Latina
Washington : US Senate majority leader Harry Reid says he is preparing a Democrat reply to a recent military report on Iraq to Congress.
Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the US troops in Iraq, defended the current White House strategy and only advised withdrawal of some 30,000 soldiers in the summer of 2008.
Sen. Reid (D, NV) calls the report a continuation of the failed Executive strategy in Iraq, where the US has lost nearly 4,000 soldiers since March 2003.
Iran set to continue controversial uranium enrichment programme
By RIA Novosti
Tehran : Iran has rejected UN calls to impose a moratorium on uranium enrichment and demanded new solutions to its controversial nuclear programme, the country's top nuclear negotiator said.
"We have clearly defined our position on the issue of the moratorium and enrichment activities," Ali Larijani told reporters Wednesday.
The Iranian top nuclear negotiator added that the Western countries would need "new initiatives to consider". He said a solution to the Iranian nuclear programme could be found through the good will of the negotiating parties.
Bahrain shortens deadline for immigrant amnesty-seekers
By IANS
Dubai : Bahrain will stop accepting amnesty applications from illegal immigrant workers by Dec 1, a month ahead of the expiry of its amnesty deadline, a senior immigration official has said.
In a bid to curb the blatant violation of the country's labour norms, Bahrain had announced a general amnesty scheme for illegal foreign workers last month. It asked all illegal immigrant workers and their employers to regularise their work permits or face heavy penalties.
Syria denies U.S. media reports on Israeli warplanes attack
By Xinhua
Damascus : A Syrian official on Wednesday denied U.S. media reports that Israeli warplanes intruded Syrian airspace last week and attacked weapons for the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement inside the Syrian territories.
The official, who declined to name himself, made the denial in an interview with the Lebanese Manar television station.
The U.S. media reports were not correct, which aimed at diverting the public attention to the Israeli invasion against a sovereign state, the official said.
10 alleged thieves lynched by mob in Bihar
By IANS
Patna : Villagers in Bihar's Vaishali district lynched 10 alleged thieves early Thursday and justified the act saying that they were finally "rid" of the men who had been robbing homes there for the past few months.
According to police, the alleged thieves were beaten to death in Dhelpurwa village near Hajipur in Vaishali, about 40 km from here.
Arab League resolution reiterates one-China policy
By Xinhua
Cairo : The Arab League (AL) Secretary General Amr Moussa's spokesman Alaa Roushdi Wednesday said the Arab foreign ministerial meeting, held on Sept. 5, adopted a resolution and reiterated its adherence to the one-China policy.
Roushdi told Xinhua that the resolution reaffirmed that the Arab countries stick to the one-China policy and attach great importance to strengthening relations with China in various fields.
Turkey urges Iraq to fight against terrorism in line with int’l commitments
By Xinhua
Ankara : Turkey on Wednesday called on Iraq to fulfill its international commitments, especially the UN Security Council's resolutions in regard to fighting against terrorism.
Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that, "Turkey expects Iraq to fulfill its international commitments within the scope of existing good neighborly relations between the two countries."
Abbas’ security forces discover Hamas weapons cache in W. Bank
By Xinhua
Ramallah : Security forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday that they had discovered a Hamas weapons hideout inside a mosque in the West Bank city of Nablus.
"The store contained five automatic rifles, pistols, cartridge magazines, military uniforms and inciting statements for Hamas," a source from the Ramallah-based Palestinian General Intelligence said.
The source accused Hamas of exploiting mosques and turning them into garrisons instead of using them for worship.
Four PKK rebels killed in SE Turkey
By Xinhua
Ankara : Turkish security forces killed four militants of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in southeastern Turkey, an official statement said on Wednesday.
The four PKK members were killed in a clash with security forces near Kelekci village of Siirt province, the statement issued by Siirt Governor's Office said, adding that operations against the PKK were underway in the region.
Iraqi gov’t, opposition divided over U.S. report recommending troops cut
By Xinhua
Baghdad : Iraqi government and opposition were sharply divided over the report made by two Baghdad-based U.S. top brass during their two days of testimony before U.S. Congress.
The Iraqi government hailed the long-awaited testimony as "factual" and "positive," while the opposition saw it as a politically-motivated "courtesy gift" to U.S. President George W. Bush.
Feature: On eve of Ramadan, Gazans feel ever so worried
By Xinhua
Gaza : On the eve of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which falls on Thursday, many Palestinians in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip felt more dejected and worried owing to an unprecedented economic siege coupled with a lasting internal political crisis.
Most of Gaza's population, totaling nearly 1.5 million, said that Ramadan this year would be the worst one ever.
Clinton award for Bangladesh social worker
By IANS
Dhaka : Noted Bangladeshi social worker Fazle Hasan Abed will be honoured by former US president Bill Clinton with the first Clinton Global Citizenship Award at a ceremony in New York on Sep 27.
Abed is the founder-chairperson of BRAC (formerly Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee), United News of Bangladesh (UNB) news agency said Thursday.
Riyadh urges for timetable for key Mideast issues deal
By Xinhua
Riyadh : Saudi Arabia urged Wednesday for setting a timetable to implement any deal on key Middle East issues before holding the U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference.
Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal made the call in a news conference in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, according to reports reaching here from the kingdom's resort.
The U.S.-sponsored conference "would be pointless unless it addressed key Mideast issues and set a timetable to implement any deal," Faisal told the reporters.
Foreigner killed, 11 U.S. soldiers wounded in bomb attack in Baghdad
By Xinhua
Baghdad : One foreign national was killed and 11 U.S. soldiers were wounded on Wednesday morning by an indirect fire attack on a U.S. military camp in southwestern Baghdad, a U.S. military said.
"One third-country national was killed and eleven Coalition Forces members were wounded on Sept. 12 in an indirect fire attack on Camp Victory," the statement said.
The indirect fire refers to the mortar or rocket attacks in the terms of the U.S. military statements.
More than 57 Taliban fighters killed on Ramadan eve
By DPA
Kabul : More than 57 Taliban fighters were killed in southern Afghanistan on the eve of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, officials said.
No coalition or Afghan forces were injured in the clashes. But three Afghan soldiers and an engineer were killed Wednesday in two separate roadside bomb attacks in southeastern Afghan province of Paktia, officials reported.
Iraq expects foreign troops to drop to 100,000 by end 2008
By Xinhua
Baghdad : An Iraqi national security advisor said Wednesday that the Iraqi government expected the number of foreign troops in the country to drop to 100,000 by the end of 2008 should its forces be ready and security situation be better.
"By the end of next year we expect the number of multinational troops could be less than 100,000," Muwafaq al-Rubaie told a news conference.
"This cut depends on the levels of the security threat that Iraq faces, whether inside or in the region, and the readiness of our security forces," Rubaie explained.
U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful slams Iraq report
By Xinhua
Washington : Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama sharply criticized the Bush administration's recent assessments on Iraq Wednesday.
Obama launched the assault during a campaign stop in Iowa, U.S. media reported.
The senator, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the timing of the report by top U.S. officials in Iraq to Congress, was ill-conceived and erroneously links 9/11 to the war in Iraq.
Are Maoist rebels using choppers?
By Sujeet Kumar, IANS
Raipur : Do Maoist guerrillas have access to helicopters? The question is being seriously debated in police circles here after unconfirmed intelligence reports that top Maoist leaders have been using helicopters to travel from their strongholds in Orissa and Jharkhand to Chhattisgarh.
"We have information that Maoist top gun Ganapathi used a chopper in April 2005 to attend a meeting at short notice in Chhattisgarh's Abujhmad forest, an area protected by landmines all around," said a senior police officer based at the police headquarters here.
A Muslim’s real jehad is to expose terrorists
By Firoz Bakht Ahmed, IANS
With so many voices stating that the religion advocates violence, Islam is today under the scanner. Not all of them can be wrong -- people judge by what they see and today these terrorists speak and act violently in the name of Islam.
Ramadan -Opportunity to work for the better world
By Asfar Faridy
Muslims are getting ready to welcome the holy month of Ramadan. Its not only the month of fasting but also of more prayer and opportunity to come closer to the Almighty Allah, at the same time it gives immense opportunity to control oneself. In this way the holy month of Ramadan can be taken as annual prescription for the purification of the soul as well as maintenance of the body.
The toiling hands behind those Ganesha idols
By V. Vijayalakshmi, IANS
Pune : The by-lanes of Kumbarwada, an area dominated by the potter community, are now dotted with colourful idols of elephant-headed god Ganesha, with the five-day festival to mark his birth barely a few days away.
The idols are the fruits of labour of hundreds of artisans, who have been toiling away the entire year, even battling rising costs, to meet the demand of customers from all over India and even abroad.
AP Congress seeks job opportunities for Muslims
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi : In a move seemingly aimed at ensuring Muslim vote bank, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee has called upon United Progressive Alliance chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi to devise time-bound programme for providing job opportunities for Muslims in private and corporate as well as government sector organisations and institutions.
Pakistan, US emphasise sustainable relationship
By Xinhua
Islamabad : Pakistan and the United States reaffirmed their commitment to a broad-based and sustainable relationship to their mutual benefit at the second round of strategic dialogue here on Wednesday.
The US wanted a long-term and robust relationship with Pakistan and its policy towards Pakistan's tribal areas was characterized by respect for the country's sovereignty, US Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte said at a joint news conference with Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Riaz Muhammad Khan.
Notice to Live India over fake sting operation
By IANS
New Delhi : The information and broadcasting ministry has issued a show-cause notice to private TV news channel Live India for airing a fake sting operation, claiming to expose a school teacher's involvement in a prostitution racket.
The ministry notice has asked the news channel to explain why action should not be taken against it for violating the programme and advertising code prescribed under the Cable Television Network Act, an official source told IANS Wednesday.
The channel is expected to file its reply by Friday, the source said.
Al Qaeda can still ‘plan and coordinate’ attacks: report
By Xinhua
London : Al Qaeda still has the ability to "plan and coordinate" attacks in the western world, a leading British think tank said Wednesday.
"There is increasing evidence ... that 'core' Al Qaeda is proving adaptable and resilient, and has retained the ability to plan and coordinate large-scale attacks in the western world," said John Chipman, director of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, at the launch of strategic affairs report, 'Strategic Survey 2007'.
Musharraf critic Imran Khan barred from Karachi
By DPA
Islamabad : Authorities in Karachi Wednesday barred cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan from entering the southern port city of Pakistan after he arrived there to lead a demonstration against President Pervez Musharraf.
"He wanted to hold a rally here, which is banned," spokesman for the government of the Sindh province Waseem Akhtar told Aaj news channel.
"We had already barred his entry in the city for 30 days to maintain the public order but he violated the government order," he added.
Terrorists eyeing uranium mines in Central Asia
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : International terrorist organizations are trying to gain access to uranium mines in Central Asia, the head of the anti-terrorism centre for post-Soviet states said Wednesday.
Andrei Novikov, who heads the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Anti-Terrorism Center (ATC), told journalists: "International terrorist organizations have a huge interest in getting hold of radioactive materials. In particular, the ATC has information that they intend to penetrate uranium mines of CIS states in the Central Asian region."
Security forces kill 40 militants in Pakistan
By Xinhua
Islamabad : Pakistani security forces killed 40 militants in the country's northwest tribal region bordering Afghanistan Wednesday, a military spokesman said.
Pakistani army spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told private Geo TV that gunship helicopters were used to target positions of militants in mountains in the border area between North and South Waziristan.
"The operation was conducted in the morning and in the afternoon," he said.
Arshad said the militants had been using mountains to fire and ambush convoys of security forces.
Bush to endorse pullout plan Thursday
By DPA
Washington : US President George W. Bush will during a prime-time televised address Thursday announce withdrawal of 30,000 US troops from Iraq by next July, the Washington Post reported citing government sources.
The announcement will endorse proposals from Washington's top military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, who in testimony to Congress this week outlined the achievements of major troop surge launched in January and recommended cutting troop numbers in Iraq from 160,000 to "pre-surge" levels of 130,000.
Ramadan month starts Friday: Imam Jama Masjid
By IANS
New Delhi : The new moon for the holy month of Ramadan was not sighted Wednesday, so the first day of the month of fasting will fall Friday, according to the apex moon sighting committee of Jama Masjid.
In a statement here Wednesday evening, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, president of the Markazi Royat-e-Hilal Committee of the historic Jama Masjid, said that the moon for the month of Ramadan was not sighted in Delhi on the 29th of Shaban month Wednesday.
He also said that he did not receive "any evidence of the moon's visibility from anywhere as yet".
Militants try to destroy Buddha statue in Pakistan
By RIA Novosti
Islamabad : Militants have tried to destroy a seventh century rock carving of Buddha in the Swat valley region, in northwestern Pakistan, a spokesman for the local archaeology department said Wednesday.
Aqleem Khan said that a group of masked men had planted explosives in the rock, where the statue of the sitting Buddha is carved. The explosion damaged the rock, but the monument itself remained untouched.
Air strikes kill a dozen Taliban in Afghanistan
By DPA
Kabul : US-led coalition air strikes killed a dozen Taliban fighters in Arghandab district of southern Zabul province of Afghanistan overnight, officials said Wednesday.
Afghan and coalition forces called for air support after reports that a group of more than 20 Taliban rebels were preparing to ambush a combat patrol near a village in the district, said a military statement released from the US base in Bagram.
"Afghan forces called in coalition close-air support to strike the insurgents before they launch their attempted ambush," said the statement.
Nithari killings: Pandher charged with rape, murder
By IANS
Ghaziabad : A special court here Wednesday charged Moninder Singh Pandher with rape and murder of a young woman even as it questioned the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for exonerating him while probing the killings of at least 20 children and young women in Nithari village.
"Special Judge Rama Jain of the designated CBI court gave directions to charge Pandher with raping and murdering Payal, a 20-year-old woman, at his D-5 Nithari residence in Noida," said Khalid Mohammed, counsel of the families of the victims.
AFMI condoles Maulana Abdul Kareem Parekh’ death
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Farmington(Michigan, USA): The American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI) has condoled the passing away of eminent Islamic scholar Maulana Abdul Kareem Parekh.
Dr.Shakir Mukhi, President of AFMI, described Padma Bhushan Maulana Parekh as a great religious scholar and social worker who was always concerned about the plight of the community. "In his passing away we have lost a religious and social leader who worked for the welfare of the people throughout his life. May Allah bless his soul and grant patience to his family. " Dr.Mukhi added.
Uttarakhand’s waqf chief dismissed
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Dehradun: Choudhary Raees Ahmed has been dismissed from his post as Chairman of the Uttarakhand Wakf Board.
The BJP government led by B. C. Khanduri alleges administrative and financial irregularities as the reason for the dismissal. This comes after a series of dismissals on corruption charges in other departments. BJP says that it is part of their drive against corruption.
Ahmed, who is a Congress leader allege that it is a political vendetta targeting Congress members of the previous government.
18 Pakistani policemen missing following militant attack
By Xinhua
Islamambad : Eighteen police personnel were missing following militants' attack Tuesday night on a security check post in Pakistan's northwest town of Bannu, an army spokesman said Wednesday.
"They were police, not paramilitary soldiers," military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told Xinhua over telephone.
Two policemen were also injured in the attack, Arshad said.
Earlier media reports suggested gunmen fired rockets on the check post and took away 19 security personnel.
No outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Iraq expects cut in foreign troops by 2008 end
By Xinhua
Baghdad : Iraq's national security advisor said Wednesday the government expects the number of foreign troops in the country to drop to 100,000 by the end of 2008 should its forces be ready to take over.
"By the end of next year we expect the number of multinational troops could be less than 100,000," Muwafaq al-Rubaie told a news conference.
"This cut depends on the levels of the security threat that Iraq faces, whether inside or in the region, and the readiness of our security forces," Rubaie explained.
Israel raises alert level for Jewish holiday
By Xinhua
Jerusalem : In fear of potential attacks, Israeli security establishment has raised its state of alert to the highest level ahead of Jewish New Year and imposed complete closure on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, local media said Wednesday.
The alert was announced Tuesday in response to warnings of potential "terror attacks" over Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, according to the report.
Ramadan commences Thursday in several Arabian Gulf, Arab states
By NNN-KUNA
Kuwait : The holy month of Ramadan commences on Thursday in several Gulf and Arab countries.
Kuwait will celebrate the first day of Ramadan on Thursday, an official judiciary committee said.
Justice Abdullah Al-Essa, reading a statement Tuesday, said Wednesday is the last day of the month of Sha'ban in the Hijra calender, thus the first day of Ramadan falls on Thursday.
Australia donates 38,000 tonnes wheat to Bangladesh
By NNN-BSS
Dhaka : The Australian High Commissioner in Dhaka Douglas Foskett handed over 38,550 tonnes of wheat worth 14 million Australian dollars to the government of Bangladesh to support its food based programmes for ultra poor people.
Joint Secretary of Food and Disaster Management Ministry of Bangladesh, Shafiqul Islam received the Australian donation on behalf the government at a ceremony at the Chittagong Port Sunday.
Bangladesh parties can do indoor politics within limits
By NNN-BSS
Dhaka : Law and Information Adviser of Bangladesh Barrister Mainul Hosein Monday said Bangladesh government has allowed political parties to conduct their indoor politics on political and election related maters.
They must however abide by the guidelines, violation of the limits will be considered as an offense under the emergency power rule, he said while briefing journalists at his Secretariat office here.
Pakistan says Nawaz Sharif chose to leave, party says prefer to be arrested
By NNN-PTI
Islamabad : Pakistan government and Nawaz Sharif's party clashed Tuesday over the circumstances behind his deportation with a Minister claiming he chose to leave to avoid prosecution while a party leader said the former premier had in fact "offered his wrists".
Pakistan's deputy information minister Tariq Azim said Sharif chose to go back into exile to avoid being detained and standing trial. Sharif was flown to Saudi Arabia amid high drama within hours after he landed in Islamabad Monday from a seven-year exile.
Pakistan: 18 killed in suicide blast
By NNN-PTI
Islamabad : At least 18 people, including two policemen and a soldier, were killed and several others injured Tuesday when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a mini-bus as police tried to search him for explosives in a northwest Pakistani town.
The incident occurred in Dera Ismail Khan in North West Frontier Province when security personnel tried to search the bomber who was acting suspiciously, area Superintendent of Police Khaled Mohammed told TV channels.
Interpol notice against Quattrocchi stands
By IANS
New Delhi : The Interpol notice against fugitive Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, wanted in the multimillion Bofors gun pay-off scam here, was still valid, the global body's Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said here Wednesday.
Such notices are not withdrawn until the requesting country asks for that, Noble told reporters when queried about the warrant against Quattrocchi.
He was addressing a press meet on the sidelines of the 7th Interpol Conference on Cyber Crime here.
US official Negroponte in Pakistan for strategic talks
By DPA
Islamabad : US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte arrived in Islamabad Wednesday to take part in a Pakistan-US strategic dialogue amid growing turmoil for the country's military ruler, President Pervez Musharraf.
Negroponte arrived from Afghanistan on a two-day visit, which as well as examining joint efforts in counter-terrorism and other fields, may herald a breakthrough in power-sharing talks between the embattled president and exiled liberal opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.
Pakistani opposition boycotts Saudi reception
By IANS
Islamabad : Upset over Saudi Arabia's role in the deportation of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the entire opposition stayed away from the national day reception hosted by the kingdom's ambassador Tuesday.
"Observant guests at the reception thought events surrounding Nawaz Sharif had cast a shadow on the celebration of the national day of a country which inspires reverence in Muslims everywhere, not just in Pakistan," Dawn reported Wednesday.
Gunmen kill eight people in northern Iraq
By Xinhua
Mosul (Iraq) : Eight people, seven of them security personnel, were killed in two attacks in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, the provincial police said Wednesday.
"Unknown gunmen attacked a police checkpoint late Tuesday in the Ein al-Beidha village in al-Qaiyara town, 25 km south of Mosul, killing six policemen," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Separately, gunmen stormed the house of an Iraqi army officer in the al-Zinjili neighbourhood in Mosul early Wednesday, killing him and his father.
Mason electrocuted for cellphone theft
By IANS
Kolkata : A software developer and his two aides allegedly killed a mason in West Bengal by electrocuting him for stealing a cellphone, media reports said.
The developer, Meghdoot Adhikary, and his two aides, Sajal Bhattacharjee and Shankar Mistri in South 24-Paraganas district assaulted the mason Raghubir Vajpayee and finally electrocuted him Monday evening, reports said.
The trio reportedly dumped the body on the Eastern Metropolitan (EM) Bypass and fled in their car. Local people who spotted the body informed the police about the incident Tuesday.
Talks begin on electoral reforms in Bangladesh
By IANS
Dhaka : Bangladesh's Election Commission Wednesday began a two-month dialogue with political parties in its bid to introduce wide ranging electoral reforms.
On day one, the Election Commission held discussions with the Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ), a four-party combine of Islamic parties that shared power during 2001-06, reported the Daily Star.
Why communalism persists in 21st century India?
By Vishal Arora, IANS
How can we expect the evil of communalism to go away if the commission investigating one of India's worst communal crimes, the demolition of the Babri mosque in 1992, makes civil society wait for more than 14 years -- without much hue and cry.
Concern in Bangladesh over rising acid attacks
By IANS
Dhaka : Worried at the increasing incidents of acid attacks, particularly against women and children, the Bangladesh government has asked officials across the country to work out a monitoring system to check the alarming trend.
"Young women were usually victims of acid attack, but grownup men and children are also attacked with acid these days," Home Secretary Abdul Karim said in a letter to deputy commissioners in the country.
Indian Muslim clerics to work for Israeli-Palestinian peace
By Faraz Ahmad, IANS
New Delhi : A group of Muslim clerics from India have called upon "the children of Abraham (Muslims, Christians and Jews)" to shun violence against each other and have undertaken to promote peace and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.
An eight-member delegation led by four Muslim clerics from India visited Israel Aug 15-21. The visit was marked by the Indian maulanas and the Israeli rabbis by the signing of a joint peace accord, which asked the "Children of Abraham" to shun violence against each other.
Jamiat Ulama to challenge Allahabad HC plea to make Gita ‘national holy book’
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi : It is quite unacceptable and reprehensible to declare the Gita as the ‘national holy book' in a multi-religious country like India, said Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind general secretary Maulana Syed Mahmood Madani while making an announcement to challenge the pronouncement made by a judge of the Allahabad High Court Justice S N Srivastava in this regard.
Islamist group claims responsibility for German bomb plot
By DPA
Berlin : The Islamic Jihad Union, a militant Islamist organisation originating in Uzbekistan, has claimed responsibility for the bomb plot against US facilities in Germany uncovered last week, the Interior Ministry said.
German security authorities were regarding a declaration to this effect published on the Internet to be genuine, a ministry spokesman said.
The attacks, planned for the end of the year, were to be aimed at the large US Ramstein airbase near Frankfurt, as well as at US and Uzbek consular facilities in Germany.
Gas pipeline explodes in southeastern Bangladesh
By Xinhua
Dhaka : A gas pipeline in Bangladesh's southeastern Chittagong district exploded in a massive blaze Tuesday night, threatening people living nearby and industries.
The pipeline of the Expanded Bakhrabad Gas line located in Chittagong on the middle of Kalurghat bridge over the Karnaphuli river broke out at about 8.30 p.m. "It was raging towards the southern side where 25 industrial units and two residential areas are facing threat," a private news agency UNB was quoted as saying.
Bush to address nation, announce troop drawdown
By Xinhua
Washington : U.S. President George W. Bush is expected to announce a plan to cut troop levels in Iraq by 30,000 by mid 2008 when he addresses the nation later this week, U.S. officials told U.S. media Tuesday.
The speech will be delivered as early as Thursday and then the White House is expected to deliver the long-awaited Iraq status report Friday, capping a week-long focus on the Iraq issue, officials said on condition of anonymity.
10 kg heroin seized in Amritsar
By IANS
Amritsar : Nearly 10 kg of heroin, valued at over Rs.100 million in the international market was seized by officials of the directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) here Tuesday.
The heroin consignment had come from Pakistan and was being transported to Delhi by two men from Punjab, DRI officials said.
The DRI officials arrested two persons, Madan Lal and Kamaljit, with the consignment.
The drug was seized following a tip-off that the consignment was being taken to Delhi in a car.
Non-aligned nations voice support deal between IAEA, Iran
By Xinhua
Vienna : Nonaligned nations on Tuesday voiced their support for the deal reached last month between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran despite western skepticism.
Addressing a meeting of IAEA governing board that opened Monday in Vienna, Cuban ambassador Norma Miguelina Goicochea Estenoz saidthe Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) shares IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei's view that "this work plan (timetable) is a significant step forward."
Chief arms procurer’s arrest a blow to LTTE: Indian officials
By M.R. Narayan Swamy, IANS
New Delhi : A Sri Lankan Tamil Tiger who headed the group's global arms procuring unit has been reportedly arrested in Thailand after eluding security services of more than one country for over two decades, Indian officials said Tuesday.
Tharmalingam Shanmughan alias Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP, 52, who has also been linked to the explosives used in the 1991 assassination of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, was detained in Bangkok Monday evening, media reports said.
Three-star general could face court martial for corruption
By IANS
New Delhi : A three-star Indian Army general charged with corruption has been asked to report for disciplinary proceedings that could lead to a court martial, the first time that such a senior officer faces punishment.
Lt. Gen. S.K. Sahni of the Army Supply Corps (ASC) was ordered to report to the Jalandhar-based 10 Corps for "attachment" after the Delhi High Court rejected his plea to stay proceedings pending against him for more than a year following a court of inquiry indicted him for cheating.
Bridge the gap between modern educated and ulema: Maulana Parvez Alam Qasmi
By TwoCircles.net news desk
Mumbai: Muslims Ummah has two group of educated people, one who are educated in modern subjects and others who master Islamic studies. Both groups need to work together, said Maulana Parvez Alam Qasmi a scholar in Islamic jurisprudence and Mohadith at Jamia Jalalia Hojai, Assam. He was addressing the students at the annual 'Convocation 2006-7' of Markazul Ma'arif Education & Research Centre (MMERC), Mumbai, this Sunday.
69 injured in rocket attack on Israeli military base
By RIA Novosti
Tel Aviv : At least 69 Israeli soldiers have been injured, some seriously, in a rocket attack on a military training base, an Israeli Army spokesman said Tuesday.
The Qassam rocket, launched by Palestinian militants, exploded early Tuesday morning in the centre of the Zikim training base, located close to border with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
According to the spokesman, the early warning rocket system functioned properly, but many soldiers failed to reach a bomb shelter in time.
No power cuts in Muslim areas during Ramadan: Dikshit
By IANS
New Delhi : Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Tuesday directed power distributing companies (Discoms) to refrain from load shedding in Muslim-dominated areas during Ramadan, and asked civic authorities to provide adequate water during the holy month.
Dikshit said that adequate supply of power, water and arrangements for sanitation and cleanliness should be ensured during the Ramadan month that begins Thursday.
She exhorted Discoms "to maintain uninterrupted supply of power and avoid any power shedding" by citing power theft as an excuse.
Iranian intelligence officer, Al Qaeda leader killed in Iraq
By DPA
Baghdad : An Iranian intelligence officer and an Al Qaeda leader in Salahaddin province were among 12 militants reported killed in a US raid in south Samarra city, an Iraqi official report said Tuesday.
The report said the officer, identified as belonging to the Iranian intelligence, was carrying an Iranian passport, but it gave no details about him.
Al Qaeda leader Abu Obeid al-Jazaeri and his wife were also killed in the raid carried out Monday, 125 km from capital Baghdad, the report added.
Punjab police fail to question top official Virk
By IANS
Chandigarh : Punjab Police have been unable to interrogate former director general of police (DGP) S.S. Virk even once since his arrest on Sunday on charges of corruption and harbouring of terrorists.
Virk, who was arrested in New Delhi, is being treated at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here after doctors on Monday found his blood pressure to be high and suffering from accelerated hypertension.
On Tuesday, a court in Mohali town remanded Virk in judicial custody for 15 days.
Puja Bhatt threatened for making film about Indian Muslims
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi: Bollywood actress and director Puja Bhatt has written a letter to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in which she has informed him about threats she has received from anti-social elements after making film 'Dhoka.'
Recently released 'Dhoka' is story of Indian Muslims and their search for justice in India.
TV reporter in police custody, teacher quizzed
By IANS
New Delhi : A city court Tuesday remanded television reporter Prakash Singh, arrested for doing a fake sting operation, in two days' police custody even as police interrogated schoolteacher Uma Khurana who was allegedly framed in the report.
Prakash, arrested last week, was produced before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Alok Aggarwal.
"The court has remanded Prakash, reporter with private television channel Live India, to two days' police custody for further interrogation," said an official of Delhi Police's Crime Branch investigating the case.
Rs. 12,000 fixed for this year’s Hajj airfare
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Mumbai/Patna: Haj Committee of India (HCI) is requiring this year Hajis to deposit Rs. 12,000 towards their airfare for Hajj. In a press release issued by the Haj Committee of India that is responsible for hajj for 1428 hijri (2007 CE), requested pilgrims to deposit the amount through bank draft.
Punjab reconstitutes committee on minority affairs
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Chandigarh: The Punjab government has reconstituted the state advisory committee on minority affairs under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
The official members of the committee include the finance minister, the minister of state for welfare of SCs and BCs, the chief secretary, the principal secretary (finance) and the principal secretary to the CM. The additional principal secretary to the CM will be the member-secretary of the panel.
Kashmiris ask Sonia Gandhi about their missing kins
By News Agency of Kashmir
Srinagar: Asking the whereabouts of their kins, a group of about thirty five members including the relatives of persons who have 'disappeared during insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir' held protest demonstrations out side the park, where UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was addressing a gathering.
Maulana Abdul Karim Parekh passes away
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Nagpur : Renowned Muslim scholar and translator of the Holy Qur'an into Urdu, Maulana Abdul Karim Parekh passed away in a private nursing home here in the early hours Tuesday following a brief illness. He was 85. Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajioon.
Iraqi government welcomes US commander’s report
By DPA
Baghdad : The Iraqi government welcomed Tuesday the report presented to Congress in Washington by US commander in Iraq General David Petraeus, who recommended that the United States would need fewer forces in Iraq in future.
Speaking at a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq's National Security Advisor Muwaffaq al-Rubaie said the report was "transparent" in assessing the situation in Iraq.
He described what the Iraqi government had achieved so far as "a historical progress" towards the setting up of democracy.