Indian Muslim

By Xinhua Jerusalem : Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Thursday defended his decision to go to war with Hezbollah saying it was aimed at eradicating the extremist threat, local media reported. "There had been a need to eradicate once and for all the threat that hung over hundreds of thousands of people and create a new reality," Olmert, who was visiting the northern border to mark the anniversary of the war with Hezbollah, said. "We are still far from achieving our goals. We need to work very hard and we are working very hard," he said.

By NNN-Prensa Latina Washington : The New York Times daily on Friday described the US war against Iraq a lost cause, and urged President George W. Bush to order the withdrawal of American troops from the Arab country. In an article entitled No Progress Report, the daily slammed Bush's speech on Thursday, in which he tried to convince the American people that Pentagon forces are being successful in Iraq.

By Xinhua Gaza : The Hamas movement Saturday strongly condemned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' decision to turn the emergency government headed by Salam Fayyad into a caretaker administration. Ismail Radwan, a spokesman for Hamas, decried Abbas' decision to turn the Salam Fayyad-led emergency government that legally cannot last for more than one month as a caretaker cabinet and insisted that the sacked Hamas coalition, headed by Ismail Haneya, was the legitimate one.

By News Agency of Kashmir

Srinagar : While security forces claimed to have arrested a Hizb-ul Mujahideen (HM) commander from Bandipora town, an unidentified militant was gunned down at Wudderbala in Handwara area of north Kashmir.

Official spokesman told News Agency of Kashmir that on specific information, Bandipora Police and 51 Bn of Border Security Force launched search operation and arrested a Battalion Commander of the HM militant outfit Bilal Ahmed Dar, S/O Mohammed Rajab Dar of Lakrishipora Bandipora.

By NNN-SomaliNet

Mogadishu : The leader of the ousted Islamic Courts Union on Thursday boycotted the call from the reconciliation conference committee to participate in the congress, which entered its second week.

The exiled leader of the executive council of the defeated Islamic Courts Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed who is now in the Eritrean capital of Asmara told the London based Sharqa-Awsat Arabic newspaper that the remarks by the so-called reconciliation committee as nonsense and have no value to the minds of the Somali society.

By IANS

Srinagar : Defence Minister A.K. Antony Saturday said any slackening of guard could again deteriorate "the fast improving security situation" in Jammu and Kashmir.

The minister who arrived here Friday, however, maintained that the entire state was not affected by violence, "as it had now been limited to certain pockets".

"The situation can further improve fast, but if we slacken out, it can deteriorate. We must continue our efforts to bring in total normalcy in the state," Antony told reporters here.

Sydney, July 29 (IANS) The 230,000-strong Indian Australian community has been relieved that justice has finally prevailed as Muhammad Haneef was on his way home, though it has demanded an apology from the government for the Indian doctor's 25-day incarceration before terror charges against him were dropped.

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 2 (IANS) Abdul Nasser Mahdhani, released from jail after being acquitted of charges of involvement in the Coimbatore serial bombings, said Thursday that his first priority was to forge Dalit-Muslim unity in Kerala. Madhani arrived here from Kochi where he reached Wednesday night after being released from the Coimbatore jail where he had been languishing for over nine and a half years. He was the 14th accused in the Feb 14, 1998 blasts that took place while BJP leader L.K. Advani was on an election tour of Coimbatore. It left 58 people dead and 250 injured.

By DPA Jericho (West Bank) : Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday he wanted to see the creation of a Palestinian state which would be established alongside Israel "as soon as possible". He made the remarks as he met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss what an Israeli spokesman said were "fundamental issues" which would be the basis for Palestinian statehood. "Our intention is to bring about two states for two peoples, and we want to do this as soon as possible," Olmert said.

By IANS Algiers : Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for an economic grouping by Muslim states to confront what he called the "economic dominance of Western powers". "Selective policies, domination over sources of energy and unfair distribution of wealth originate from big powers' economic dominance," said Ahmadinejad in a meeting of Iranian and Algerian businessmen Monday, according to the Irna news agency. The president was on a two-day official visit to Algeria on the invitation of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

By DPA Baghdad : Iraqi troopers have killed a prominent militant believed to be a top aide of the Al Qaeda leader in Iraq, an army spokesman told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) Saturday. Mowafaq Yassin, identified as "the right-hand man of Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq Abu Hamza al-Muhajir," was shot after a firefight in the area of Badosh, 40 km west of Mosul, Friday, Brigadier Mutaa al-Khazraji told VOI.

By Gulshan Luthra, IANS Washington : The world's first new technology aircraft that can land and take off like a helicopter will taste blood in real battle conditions from next month - in Iraq. Informed sources here indicate that an unknown number of the Tiltrotor V 22 Ospreys, being manufactured by Boeing and Bell Helicopter, were already on their way into Iraq for offensive combat assault and combat support operations.

By NNN-IRNA Tehran : Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday appointed two acting ministers for industries and mines, and oil ministries. In the official announcement, the president introduced Gholam- Hossein Nozari and Ali-Akbar Mehrabian as the oil and industries and mines acting ministers respectively. They will replace Vaziri-Mahaneh and Alireza Tahmasbi. The president thanked the former ministers for their services and appointed Vaziri-Mahaneh as his adviser in oil and gas affairs.

By Xinhua Kabul : Face-to-face talks between the Taliban and South Korean officials to secure the release of 19 hostages held in Afghanistan have failed, a spokesman of the militia said Saturday. Abductors are waiting for a decision from the Taliban leadership on the hostages' future, Yousuf Ahmadi, the guerrilla spokesman said. The talks, which started Thursday, had stopped later on the same day without making any progress, Ahmadi told Xinhua from an undisclosed place. He added that their two delegates engaged in the negotiations had returned.

GAZA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Two Palestinian children were killed and a third was critically wounded on Tuesday afternoon when Israeli artillery fired a shell at a group of Palestinians in northern Gaza Strip, witnesses said. The witnesses clarified that a group of people, including children were gathering near the College of Agriculture in the town of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza Strip when the shell was fired and hit them.

By NNN-IRNA Paris : French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said that Iran's nuclear standoff should be resolved through diplomatic means. Speaking to French ambassadors abroad here Monday, he described the Iranian people as a great nation which does not deserve to be isolated. Ruling out any military action against Iran, the French president regarded a possible bombardment of the country as a "catastrophe". Warning of confrontations between Western and Eastern civilizations, he said this would be the biggest danger threatening the whole world.

By Xinhua Seoul : The Taliban has agreed to free 19 South Korean hostages kidnapped in Afghanistan following negotiation with South Korean officials, South Korean Presidential Office spokesman Cheon Ho said Tuesday. "The South Korean government welcomes the agreement on the hostage release," the spokesman said at a news conference.

By IANS New Delhi : A student was shot dead in broad daylight after some unidentified assailants pumped four bullets into his body in west Delhi Wednesday, police said. Jitender, pursuing post graduation in forensic sciences, was murdered at around 9.30 a.m. near a metro station in Uttam Nagar area, after he left his home nearby for his college in Rohini area of northwest Delhi. According to police, the assailants numbering three opened gunshots at him and pumped four bullets in his chest and abdomen. The accused later fled towards the Najafgarh area.

By IANS New Delhi : Indian Railways has identified 185 railway stations all over the country that could be vulnerable to terrorist strikes and is taking measures to upgrade the security system, union Minister of State for Railways R. Velu has told parliament. Of these, 17 are metro stations where Indian Railways plans to upgrade the security system, said Velu replying to a starred question in the Lok Sabha. "The railways have started procuring x-ray machines to install them at selected places on these railway stations," the minister said.

By Ram Puniyani

By IANS Dubai : A delegation from Andhra Pradesh led by Minorities Welfare Minister Mohammed Ali Shabber has held talks with officials here to discuss long term solutions to tackle the problem of illegal immigrants from the state. Accompanied by four others, Shabber met Director of Dubai Naturalisation & Residency Department (DNRD) Brig. Mohamed Ahmed Rashid Al Marri Sunday.

By IANS Patna : Three youths were brutally beaten up by nearly 400 villagers in Bihar for snatching away a motorcycle. But police Tuesday denied reports that the mob had gouged out their eyes. A case has been registered against the villagers for taking the law into their own hands, police sources said. The incident took place at Vardaha village in Nawada district Monday. Nawada district Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar said it was wrongly reported that the eyes of the three motorcycle-snatchers were pierced with a pointed iron tool.

By DPA Tehran : French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner Friday called Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani to clarify his comments, which were widely interpreted as war rhetoric against Iran, state television network IRIB reported. IRIB quoted Kouchner as regretting the media interpretation of his comments and said what he meant was adopting ways to prevent war. He reiterated his wish to visit Tehran to clear up all misunderstanding, IRIB said.

By Xinhua

Baghdad : Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi of Sunni faction visited the country's most revered Shiitecleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the holy city of Najaf, 160 km south of Baghdad, on Thursday, an official of Hashimi's party said.

By Xinhua Baghdad : A senior Al Qaeda member has been killed in Iraq as two car bombs in Mosul Saturday left at least 10 people dead, sources said. An explosives-laden car parked near a bank in the town of Hamdaniyah, 35 km east of Mosul in Nineveh province in north Iraq, detonated when a police patrol passed by, a source said on condition of anonymity. The blast killed four policemen, including two officers, and wounded 16, the source said. Two police vehicles were damaged in the blast.

By DPA Kabul : Afghanistan's Muslim extremist Taliban Sunday rejected an offer of peace talks from the President Hamid Karzai, demanding first the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country. "Our position has not changed regarding the peace talks," said Taliban spokesman Kari Yussif Ahmadi. "As long as the Afghan government lacks its own authority and planning and as long as there are foreign forces in Afghanistan, we are not ready for talks."

By Dipankar De Sarkar London : British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who paid a surprise visit to Iraq Tuesday, is said to be considering halving the number of British troops there over the next six months. Brown has kept political watchers guessing about his Iraq policy. He has pledged to maintain and develop traditionally close Anglo-American relations while appearing to position his government a little distance away from the Bush administration in comparison to the previous British government led by Tony Blair.

By IANS Raipur : A Chhattisgarh Armed Forces (CAF) constable was arrested Wednesday for killing a Maoist ultra in police custody, a police spokesman said. Constable Shyamlal pumped two bullets into the body of dreaded Maoist militant Ramdhan or Dhanraj, a 'zonal commander' in Koriya district in northern Chhattisgarh, Tuesday at a police station in Ramgarh.

By Xinhua Jerusalem : Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday asked the negotiating teams from both sides to begin drafting a joint statement next week ahead of a U.S.- brokered Mideast peace conference. During a two-hour meeting held at Olmert's official resident in Jerusalem, the leaders talked in broad terms about their vision for a peace deal, and instructed drafting teams to start work next week on a joint statement, ahead of the U.S.-hosted peace conference.

By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS Islamabad : The Supreme Court of Pakistan Friday gave its go-ahead for polling in Saturday's presidential election but restrained the Election Commission from notifying the result till it takes a final decision on petitions filed against President Pervez Musharraf's candidature. A 10-judge bench headed by Justice Javed Iqbal asked the Election Commission to notify the results only after the court permitted.

By NNN-KUNA Baghdad : The situation in Iraq requires a precise working plan that deals with militias in order to avoid any further "mistakes," Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki said. His remarks came during a meeting Friday evening with Joint Chief of Staff at the US Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, General David Petraus and US Ambassador to Baghdad Ryan Crocker.

Tehran, Oct 7, SPA -- Mohammed Ali Husseini, the spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry has described the new political trend of the French government towards Iran as an illogical trend. In a statement to the pressmen today, Husseini said 'we have made it clear to the French officials that illogical trends towards Iran will not yield positive results. It is worth mentioning that the French foreign minister has recently criticized the Iranian nuclear policy noting that his country prefers diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue.

By Xinhua Damascus : A Syrian military training plane crashed near the capital on Sunday, killing two persons on board, pan-Arab satellite TV al-Jazeera reported. A third person might have been injured in the accident, said the report. The plane was seen crashing into Muadamiet al-Sham district, west of Damascus. But there was no official confirmation at the moment.

By IANS New Delhi : At least 29 people, including the wife of a popular Punjabi folk singer,were Thursday arrested on charges of human trafficking after the US embassy registered a police complaint. "We have arrested 29 people, including Dolly Singh, who writes her husband's name as Malkit Singh. She had applied for visa on the basis of forged documents at the US embassy here," Joint Commissioner of Police Ajay Kashyap told IANS. Malkit Singh resides in the US.

By IANS Kolkata : Welcoming the Calcutta High Court's order for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the mysterious death of Rizwanur Rahman, Left Front chairman Biman Bose said the state government will abide by the court's decision and take suitable action against the police officers indicted by it.

By Zafar Iqbal Washington, DC: “The key to successfully negotiating the path ahead for you and for generations to come remains reason and revelation,” said Mr. Enver Masud, the keynote speaker at the Aligarh Alumni Association’s Scholarship Fund-raising Iftar-dinner on Saturday, 29th September 2007 in Washington. There is no better way than education to enrich the power of reasoning. Mr. Masud praised the attendees for continuing the AMU tradition of providing financial help to deserving students.

By NNN-KUNA Washington : US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has said that Iraq should take measures to deal with the Kurdistan Workers Party and urged Turkey not to destabilize the Iraqi Kurdistan area along its border. "We have encouraged everyone to work together toward a solution that does deal with the terrorist problem but does not destabilize northern Iraq," said Rice before the House of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday.

By Sangzuala Hmar, IANS

Aizawl : Twenty years after he surrendered and joined the mainstream, 42-year-old Zohmingthanga, a former rebel fighter from Mizoram, is an angry man today - leading a life of penury and feeling betrayed by the state.

A former Mizo National Front (MNF) rebel, Zohmingthanga surrendered in 1986 along with his insurgent leader Zoramthanga, now the respected chief minister of the northeast Indian state of Mizoram.

By IANS Srinagar : An art workshop being attended by national and international artists began here to introduce Kashmiri artists to innovative art forms. The 15-day workshop kicked off Tuesday and is being organised by Khoj, an organisation working to bridge the gap between artist communities at national and international levels. "The local artists will benefit from this venture as it introduces them to the variety of art practices from national and international levels," said Masood Hussain, a well-known local artist.

By Asfar Faridy New Delhi: Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari while urging the Indian Muslim community to study and emulate the manner in which Asian Muslim societies like Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran and Turkey have addressed the questions of knowledge and gender deficit, asked them to confront the evils of ignorance and stagnation.

By DPA Baghdad : Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has said Iran was willing to hold fresh talks with the US over Iraqi security. Mottaki said late Wednesday he considered an earlier US initiative about dialogue with Iran as a positive step. The Iranian minister said his talks with the US would focus on Iraq and the US forces there, adding that Iranian diplomats in US custody should be released. He said the Iraqi government should be responsible for their release.

By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS Khartoum : One of the largest peacekeeping forces in history was inaugurated in Sudan's vast and desolate Darfur region as African and UN negotiators tried to pick up the pieces after inconclusive talks this week aimed at ending the humanitarian crisis there.

By Manish Chand, IANS New Delhi : It was the year of living dangerously for an embattled General Pervez Musharraf - a chain of events that included the suspension of chief justice and a spate of terrorist attacks on the way, culminating in the imposition of emergency Saturday that was triggered by the fear of losing power he has enjoyed for over eight years.

By Xinhua Baghdad : Four anti-Al Qaeda tribal leaders have been killed in a suicide attack inside a house in the volatile province of Diyala in Iraq, a provincial police and the US military said Saturday. The attack occurred Friday evening in the house of Sheikh Fayez Elewi Mizri, one of the Obeid tribe's Sheikhs, in the al-Doujama village in the al-Khalis town, some 60 km northeast of Baghdad, the police source said seeking anonymity.

By IANS Chennai : Calling for restoration of democracy in their country, two eminent Pakistanis have expressed the hope that struggle for citizens' rights will succeed one day. "Without democracy, the basic rights of people cannot be guaranteed," said Ibn Abdur Rehman, Pakistan peace and rights activist. Rehman and fellow Pakistani Syed Adibul Hasan Rizvi, a surgeon and professor of medicine, are among a group of Ramon Magsaysay award winners who are meeting in Chennai this week.

By Xinhua Washington : The United States said Thursday that it would push ahead with a third U.N. Security Council resolution again on Iran for its defiance over its nuclear program. The United States made the comments after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released a report on Thursday saying Iran had made important strides toward transparency about its nuclear activity, but it had yet to resolve key outstanding questions.

By Xinhua Dhaka : The unofficial death toll in the powerful cyclone that ripped through the coastal zones of Bangladesh Thursday night has risen to 163, a private television channel reported Friday. Official television channel BTV put the death toll at 57 without giving details. Government departments are working round the clock to collect casualty figures. According to residents in the coastal districts, the storm caused by Cyclone Sidr has left a trail of devastation, uprooting thousands of trees and damaging a number of houses.

By DPA Tehran : Preliminary nuclear talks between Iran and the European Union (EU) are to be held "within the next few days" after the initial schedule was postponed, Iran's deputy chief nuclear negotiator Javad Vaeidi said Wednesday. Vaeidi and EU head of external affairs Robert Cooper were scheduled to meet in Vienna Wednesday to prepare for the next round of talks between Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeid Jalili and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

By NNN-BSS Dhaka : The UNICEF is substantially increasing support to children and women in the districts worst affected by the recent cyclone Sidr, according to a press release here on Wednesday. Support is being strengthened in nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene and essential medicines - the most vital needs according to five UN assessment teams reporting back from the worst-affected areas. The UNICEF immediately deployed regular resources in the relief and response operations, and also received US$ 2.7 million from the UN Centre Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

By IANS

Lucknow/New Delhi : A day after near-simultaneous blasts in three Uttar Pradesh cities killed 13 people, the state government Saturday was nowhere near identifying the terror group behind the bombings. A shutdown called by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to protest the terror attack evoked little response.

The police said they had identified the shops from which bicycles used in the explosions were bought and had seized the computer from which an e-mail warning about the blasts had been sent to television news channels.

By IANS

New Delhi : External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday said that controversial Bangladeshi novelist Taslima Nasreen will continue to stay in India but the government will not do anything to hurt the sentiments of people.

Nasreen was first moved from Kolkata to Jaipur last week a day agfter violence i9n Kolkata over her stay in India. She was then shifted to New Delhi early this week. The Intelligence Bureau has now kept her in a 'safe house' within a National Security Guards complex.

By Xinhua Canberra : Australian Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd said Friday that the country's combat troops in Iraq would be pulled out by mid-2008. The combat force in Iraq would come home "by around the middle of next year", Rudd told Australia's Southern Cross Broadcasting radio. He said he would meet US Ambassador Robert McCallum soon regarding this and decide a precise timing for the troop withdrawal. "We'll have a meeting with the United States ambassador before too long to set up the appropriate processes for discussing that," he added.

By IRNA London : Prime Minister Gordon Brown confirmed Wednesday that Britain supported efforts by the Afghan government to open talks with Talebans but only when they renounce violence and accept democracy. But in making a parliamentary statement on British policy in Afghanistan, Brown dismissed reports that UK officials would hold any direct negotiations with Talebans.

By SPA Jeddah : The Transitional phase of the new Hajj terminals project to operate on BOT (build-operate-transfer) basis was launched Tuesday, reported Arabic newspaper "Al-Watan." The new terminals will be expanded to 90,000 square meters with 135 passport counters and 14 departure gates, to open next Hajj season.

By IANS Kolkata : Bengali actress and former Trinamul Congress legislator Nayana Bandopadhyay Saturday said she had received abusive and life-threatening SMSes while she was touring rural areas for performing in open-air plays. "I received two messages written in abusive language while I was in Purulia district. One contained a threat to my life. I was shocked and immediately informed police," Bandopadhyay, wife of former Congress politician Sudip Bandopadhyay, told IANS over phone on her way to a performance in Murshidabad district, about 350 km from here.

By DPA Baghdad : At least 13 Iraqi volunteer fighters, including a leader, were killed and eight wounded in a suicide attack in Baquba city, 60 km southeast of the Iraqi capital Thursday, a medical source said. The bomber blew himself up targeting a volunteer centre linked to local public committees in Baquba, according to the source. Public committees formed by local tribes volunteer to help the police and the army enforce security and eliminate militants from the Al Qaeda terrorist network and other militias.

By IRNA Tehran : Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini, said on Tuesday Tehran would welcome a visit to Iran by the French president if the visit leads to further international confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activities. Hosseini made the remark while commenting on recent reports from Paris that President Nicolas Sarkozy said he would visit Iran if the country boosted its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

By Prensa Latina Nairobi : Abdulrahaman Mohamed Bankah, Somali Information Minister for the Puntlandia region, confirmed Wednesday that negotiations are underway with the kidnappers of two collaborators of Doctors without Frontiers. Bankah issued radio statements that authorities are in contact with the four remaining kidnappers of Spanish Doctor Mercedes Garcia and Argentine nurse Pilar Bauza. This information clarified stories of possible dead or injured people in a shootout between police and kidnappers.

By NNN-APP Islamabad : Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai on Thursday visited the Pakistan Monument to pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for the country. On his arrival at the Monument, President Karzai was given guard of honour by a smartly turned out contingent of Pakistan army. He laid floral wreath at the monument and stood silent for sometime in memory of those who laid their lives for the integrity and solidarity of the country.

By IANS New Delhi : Pakistan's leading human rights activist Asma Jehangir broke down Thursday on hearing about former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination, saying amid sobs that "the way forward is bloodshed". Speaking to NDTV over telephone from Islamabad, Jehangir turned angry when she was asked about the January elections. "Who cares for the elections? Get this damn (Pakistan) army out!" she screamed. "Now they will kill everybody." Asked if she planned to leave the country, a crying Jehangir said: "How can I leave? There are so many people here."

By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS Islamabad : Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) secretary Kanwar M. Dilshad said Wednesday that the widespread violence following the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto had made it "impossible" for elections to be held as per schedule on Jan 8. "It seems impossible to hold polls as scheduled," Dilshad told reporters before entering a crucial meeting to decide on a new date for the polls.

By News Agency of kashmir

Jammu : Terming the annual budget presented by coalition government as anti-unemployed youth, unrealistic and presumptuous leader of opposition Abdul Rehim Rather today said that frustration was all visible from the speech of Finance Minsiter Tariq Hameed Qarra in the state Legislative Assembly.

Talking to the media persons, the former finance minister Abdul Rehim Rather said that the finance minister was frustrated and "His frustration was observed by his speech wherein he referred the previous regimes every where".

By IANS Mumbai : Mumbai Police have arrested a 25-year-old man for allegedly raping a four-year-old child living in his neighbourhood. Liyaqat was arrested Tuesday night after residents of the locality near Santacruz, northwest Mumbai, tonsured his head and handed him over to the police. The police said Liyaqat had lured the four-year-old girl living in the neighbourhood by promising to give her chocolates. He has confessed to the crime and also admitted to the rape of a five-year-old child in a warehouse near his house.

By IANS Srinagar : Two terrorists were killed near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district Friday in what is being described as this year's first infiltration bid. Defence spokesman Lt. Col. A.K. Mathur said: "Alert troops of the army's 12 Mahar regiment picked up suspicious movements on the LoC in Keran sector of Kupwara district early Friday. "When the intruding militants were challenged to lay down their weapons they opened indiscriminate fire on the troops, triggering an encounter during which two intruders were killed."

By TwoCircles.net staff reporter

New Delhi: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad tried to infuse revolutionary spirit among Indian Muslims in the most trying period of the last century, said Bharatiya Janata Party leader Lal Krishna Advani on 22nd February.

By IANS New Delhi : A city-based lawyer Wednesday moved the Supreme Court seeking its direction to the government to grant monetary aid, matching the Haj subsidy, to non-Muslim pilgrims. The petition seeking government aid for Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists undertaking pilgrims within and outside the country was filed by advocate Ashok Pandey. The petition said that like Haj pilgrims, people from other religions undertaking their pilgrimages to countries like Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and China too should be given monetary aid by the government.

By IANS Bhubaneswar : Suspected Maoists set ablaze a youth after tying him to a tree with an iron chain in Orissa's Angul district, an official said Saturday. The incident occurred in Nuasahi village, located in the middle of a forest, some 200 km from here Friday night, Additional District Magistrate Bandhu Billor told IANS on phone. "We suspect it may be the handiwork of Maoists. The police are investigating the matter," Billor said. He said the villagers heard a blast and rushed to the spot to see the youth in flames, tied to a tree with a chain.

By TwoCircles.net staff reporter

Patna: Reservation has been demanded in Bihar for economically backward, and poor members of higher castes in Hindu and Muslim communities in order to remove their poverty and backwardness.

By TwoCircles.net staff reporter

New Delhi: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, one of the leading Muslim organizations in India, has welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold 27% of OBC quota in central universities and other higher education institutions.

Asghar Ali Engineer,

Barack Obama, who is in the race for being nominated as presidential candidate for America, made a remarkable speech on race relations in America. It was not merely complaining about discrimination against blacks (African Americans) but it was about extending hand of friendship towards whites so that people of America could stand together and form a more perfect union.

Sydney, May 9 (IANS) Indian doctor Muhammad Haneef's case has taken yet another turn with the Immigration Department refusing to release documents and his lawyers appealing against it. An application was filed in the Commonwealth Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) in Brisbane Thursday requesting a review of the Immigration Department's decision to withhold information on Haneef's cancelled 457 work visa.

By IANS, Lucknow : Taking into account global trends and job opportunities in the sector, the Aligarh Muslim University is set to offer a course on Islamic banking and finance from the next academic year, said an AMU official Saturday.

By News Agency of Kashmir,

Kishtwar : The residents of Drubel in district Kishtwar today blocked National Highway (NH1B) and disrupted normal vehicular movement for whole day in protest against the transfer of a teacher from Government High School Drubel in Chatru area of Kishtwar.

By IANS, Lucknow : The Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) Monday arrested a former state chief of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) in Gorakhpur town in Uttar Pradesh, the police said. Hammam Ahmed Siddiqui, arrested in the wee hours of Monday, headed the Uttar Pradesh operations of SIMI before it was outlawed in 2001, the police claimed. "A case was registered against him at the Kotwali police station in 2001 for delivering a provocative speech at a gathering known as Anjuman Islamiya," Senior Superintendent of Police, Gorakhpur, Piyush Mordia told IANS.

By TwoCircles.net staff reporter,

Tijara, Alwar (Rajasthan): Some miscreants here stole idols from a local temple and planted them in the historic Lal Masjid yesterday, causing tension in the area.

By TwoCircles.net reporter, Tiruchirapalli: Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK) will make formal inauguration of the Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (MMK), its newly-floated political party, at the party's state conference at Chennai after the rainy season. Addressing a press conference here on 6th July TMMK president M H Jawahirullah announced it and said efforts were on to register the MMK with the Election Commission. He further said the party would contest in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

By Azera Rahman, IANS, New Delhi : It's a novel idea that has helped 1,100 needy students - especially Muslims - from select Indian states get into engineering and paramedical institutes. And now this golden opportunity has come knocking on the doors of Delhi youths. Two hundred underprivileged students from Delhi, who have secured at least 50 percent marks in their Class 12 exam, will be listed for the initiative under which they can study at various institutes in Andhra Pradesh from this year.

By IANS,

Mumbai : Nearly a thousand people from various parts of the country gathered here Thursday to observe the 28th death anniversary of one of the greatest Bollywood playback singers, Mohammed Rafi.

People from Pune, Delhi, Hyderabad, Muzaffarpur and various other places assembled at the grave of the singer around Juhu Mosque here.

"Since morning there has been a huge crowd to pay tribute to Rafi Sahab, who is alive through his singing among all of us," said Binu Nair, founder-chairman of the Rafi Foundation.

By IANS, Patna : Underlining the need to change the mindset of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the state's former governor Lt. Gen. (retd) S.K. Sinha has called for continuing developmental efforts to counter separatist forces. "I strongly feel that there is an urgent need to change the mindset, to continue doing good things in Kashmir," Sinha said.

By M Iqbal Siddiqui, Jaipur (Rajasthan): “They know very well, who is the real culprit behind all these blasts in the country, but they don’t want to arrest them”, said Qari Mueenuddeen, convener of Rajasthan Muslim Forum while addressing a press conference here yesterday.

By Tarique Anwar, TwoCircles.net,

Patna: The educational schemes run by the state government for the students of minority community are becoming victim of the lenience of the state officials. The State Minority Financial Corporation was made responsible for issuing funds for these schemes.

By IANS, Srinagar : National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan arrived here early Wednesday as the Kashmir Valley remained calm for a second straight day after weeks of street protests. Narayanan and Intelligence Bureau director A.C. Haldar flew into the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir with senior home ministry officials for a day-long visit to the valley. The trip, meant to assess the situation, comes in the wake of the bitter Amarnath land row that has created an unprecedented communal divide in the country's only Muslim-majority state.

By IANS, New Delhi/Srinagar : With the crisis in Jammu and Kashmir over transfer of land to a Hindu shrine continuing to fester, the government is trying out Track-II initiatives to create a positive climate for defusing the trouble by reaching out to all stakeholders in the conflict. The initiative came into focus after a team of senior officials led by National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan visited the state Wednesday to discuss the situation threadbare and explore different solutions, reliable sources said.

By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net New Delhi: As the Delhi High Court on October 3 directed the Delhi Police to allow five terror suspects arrested in connection with the September 13 Delhi bombing to meet their family members and lawyers, thousands of residents of Jamia Nagar took out a peaceful march with many wearing black armbands and demanding judicial probe into the Batla House encounter.

By IANS, Chandigarh : A man has been arrested here for allegedly raping his minor stepdaughter repeatedly over the last two years, police said Sunday. "The accused, Chander Pal, is a resident of Rajiv Shahpur Colony in Sector 38 where he was living with his stepdaughter who is around 15 years old. He was arrested Saturday evening on the complaint of his neighbours who were suspicious of his activities for a long time," Rajesh Shukla, station house officer of Sector 39, told IANS. "He has been booked under Section 376 (rape) and 506 (intimidation)," Shukla said.

By IANS, Srinagar : The separatist Hurriyat Conference Thursday called for a shutdown in the Kashmir Valley Saturday to coincide with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the state. After a meeting of the joint co-ordination committee of the Hurriyat groups in the old city Rajouri Kadal area here, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chairman of the moderate Hurriyat faction, called upon the people to stage peaceful protests throughout the valley after Friday prayers and observe a complete shutdown Saturday.

By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS Islamabad : Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto Wednesday made it clear she did not trust President Pervez Musharraf and demanded the immediate restoration of democracy, even as lawyers' protests continued for the fourth day after the imposition of an emergency. In other developments, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif urged Bhutto to join hands against the military dictator to ensure he stepped down as army chief and held general elections in January as was originally scheduled.

By Aroonim Bhuyan Dubai, Nov 11 (IANS) The 10th Dubai air show began here Sunday with Emirates Airlines placing orders worth around $35 billion with Boeing and Airbus. The Dubai-based airline decided to buy from Airbus $31.2 billion worth of 70 A350 airliners and 11 A380s, the world's largest passenger jetliner. Emirates placed a smaller order worth $3.2 billion with Boeing for 12 777-300ER aircraft. "The A350 was the most suitable aircraft for our type of mission," Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum told a press conference at the air show.

By Xinhua

Islamabad : General elections including the national assembly and the provincial assemblies would be held simultaneously before Jan. 9, said Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf here on Sunday.

By Xinhua Kabul : At least 15 militants and three civilians have been killed in an operation by the US-led coalition forces in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, a military statement said Monday. According to the statement, hostilities started when militants taking cover of a nearby building opened intense fire on the coalition forces carrying out a mop-up operation against Taliban facilitators in Garmer district.

By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS London : The Commonwealth has told Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf that his nation will be suspended from the international body in ten days' time if he does not quickly end a state of emergency, roll back a string of repressive laws and revert to democracy. "The message is: 'you got about 10 days'," Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon declared after a meeting of a key group that decides on how to deal with persistent violators of democratic principles among the Commonwealth's 53-member states.

By Xinhua

Beirut : A parliamentary session set for Wednesday to elect Lebanon's new president may probably be postponed till Friday, or Nov. 23, for the 4th time, local daily An Nahar reported on Tuesday.

The Wednesday parliamentary session will "almost certainly" be postponed till Friday, the day current President Emile Lahoud's term runs out, said the daily.

By DPA Nairobi : Some 4,000 delegates are set to descend on the spruced-up Ugandan capital Kampala for the weekend's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), and top on the agenda is the current unrest in Pakistan. A Commonwealth ministerial committee has already condemned the suspension of the constitution by President Pervez Musharraf, saying the move was not in line with "Commonwealth values" but is set to decide if and what kind of punishment to slap down.

By Xinhua Baghdad : An American soldier was killed and three others were injured when a sophisticated armored piercing roadside bomb detonated near their combat patrol in Baghdad, the U.S. military said on Thursday. The attack also killed an Iraqi interpreter when an explosively formed penetrator, or EFP, detonated near their patrol Tuesday in eastern the capital, the military said in a statement. The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, it added.

By Xinhua Kampala : A Commonwealth ministerial committee decided to suspend Pakistan from the council of 53 nations minutes before the 10-day deadline given to the country for lifting the emergency expired. Following two meetings Thursday, the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), headed by Malta Foreign Minister Michael Frendo, made the decision hours before the biennial Commonwealth summit kicked off Friday.

By Xinhua Cairo : Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit on Saturday called for more talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis in the wake of the Mideast peace conference in the United States. After the Annapolis meeting, the Palestinians and the Israelis will meet on Dec. 12 to decide on a working plan on issues such as settlements, the status of Jerusalem, refugees, security and borders, he said in a lecture delivered at the Egyptian Association of International Law.

By KUNA Islamabad : Turkish President Abdullah Gul Monday urged the international community to remain committed to a "constructive approach" towards Pakistan, keeping in view its pivotal role against global terrorism. "Pakistan is important here, its future in this difficult geography, region. Therefore, constructive approach is important," the Turkish President said at a joint press conference with President Pervez Musharraf.

By NNN-PIC Gaza : The Hamas Movement has affirmed on Dec 6 2007 that all participants in the recently concluded Annapolis conference in the United States will be held responsible for any human catastrophe that might occur in the besieged Gaza Strip as a result of the escalated Israeli aggressions and the harsh measures against the Palestinians there.

Islamabad, Dec 14 (IANS) Not satisfied with a 20 percent pay hike, Pakistani bureaucrats now say they want perks at par with retiring superior court judges - for instance, the purchase of cars at depreciated value. "After having acquired all the perks and privileges allowed to retiring army generals a few months ago, the insatiable lust of the Islamabad bureaucrats has now pushed them to demand the perks and privileges given to retiring judges of the superior courts as well," The News said Friday.

By IANS Patoki (Pakistan) : At least 14 people, including 12 school children, were killed when a speeding truck hit their motorized rickshaw Wednesday in the town, some 70 km south of provincial capital Lahore, in eastern Pakistan. The accident occurred around 7.45 a.m. near a bridge when a truck coming from Multan hit the motorized rickshaw which was taking the children and some teachers to a school in Habibabad, Online news agency reported.

By IANS New Delhi : The major terror attacks that shook India in 2007: Nov: Six consecutive serial blasts rock Lucknow, Varanasi and Faizabad courts in Uttar Pradesh killing 13 people Oct: Blast at Ludhiana's Shingaar Cinema kills six and injures 33 Oct: Two pilgrims killed and 17 wounded in bomb blast at the Ajmer Sharif shrine in Rajasthan Aug: Twin bomb blasts in Hyderabad kill 40 people May: Blasts at the historic Mecca mosque in Hyderabad kill 11 people Feb: 68 people killed in Samjhauta Express bombings near Panipat, Haryana

By Xinhua Beirut : Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri indirectly rejected Monday a constitutional amendment bill adopted by the majority government to open the door for the election of Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman as president. Berri's stand was outlined by MP Ali Hassan Khalil, a member of the speaker's parliamentary bloc and Amal Movement, local Naharnet news website reported.

By Xinhua Washington : The U.S. intelligence agencies were still investigating whether al-Qaeda terrorists had been behind the assassination of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the White House said on Friday. "There have been many claims of responsibility. Our intelligence community is still looking into it," White House spokesman Scott Stanzel told reporters at Crawford, Texas, where President George W. Bush's family is spending their New Year holiday.

By DPA Baghdad : Seven civilians were killed in separate incidents of violence in Iraq Thursday, according to security sources and media reports. In Arbil, in the northern Kurdish region, city police department chief Abdel-Khaleq Talaat told reporters that an element belonging to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces shot at a family, killing four of them on the spot and wounding two. Talaat described the Peshmerga militant as "mentally deranged." The militant had stormed into the family's home and opened fire.

By IANS Mumbai : A senior executive of pharmaceutical major Nicholas Piramal India Limited has gone missing in Madhya Pradesh. Police launched a search Saturday. According to company sources in Mumbai, Ashwani Kumar Bhatt had left Indore to attend a conference in Gwalior Friday. He was expected to return to his home here Saturday, but he did not. Despite repeated attempts by his family and top company officials to contact him, his as well as his driver's cell phones remained switched off, the sources said.

By TwoCircles.net staff reporter Kolkata: The implementation of West Bengal government’s development schemes for Muslims will be carried out by joint offices of the Madrasa Education and Minority Development department. These offices will be opened in 12 Muslim dominated areas of the state.

By IANS Guwahati : At least six militants of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) were arrested in Assam in stepped up offensive by security forces after it unravelled a plot by the outfit to hijack an aircraft, officials said Friday. A police spokesman said the ULFA group was arrested from Goroimari village on the outskirts of Assam's main city of Guwahati Thursday while trying to sneak into the city with a huge consignment of explosives in a boat.

By IANS New Delhi : The Supreme Court has upheld a 1989 notification by the Gujarat government banning slaughter of bovine animals and sale of their meat in the state. A bench of judges Arijit Pasayat and P. Sathasivam upheld the notification, dismissing a petition by Ahmedabad-based butcher Abdulsattar Yusufbhai Qureshi and others challenging the notification.

By News Agency of Kashmir

Seelu, Sopore : Protest demonstrations continued in Baramulla district of North Kashmir for the second consecutive day today against the mysterious disappearance of a local youth on Tuesday. Police said that it has attached four cops and inquiry has been initiated against them.

By Syed Zarir Hussain, IANS Guwahati : The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) steps into its 30th year of armed rebellion next week with the violent insurgency showing no signs of relenting. But there is a glimmer of hope with Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi trying to revive the peace process. Gogoi has offered to facilitate direct talks between the ULFA leadership and New Delhi.

By RIA Novosti New Delhi : A 21 year-old biker from New Delhi was arrested for recklessness after trying to set an Indian record for the longest wheelie (riding on one wheel), national media said on Monday. Gurpreet Singh planned to set the record on a section of expressway linking two suburbs in the Indian capital, but was arrested during a practice ride on Sunday after riding his motorbike in a wheelie for 12 km (7.4 miles) at a speed of nearly 100 kmp/h (62 mp/h).

'By IANS Sisauli (Uttar Pradesh) : The Uttar Pradesh police Tuesday launched "Operation Tikait" to nab Mahendra Singh Tikait, accused of abusing Chief Minister Mayawati on caste lines, forcing the farmer leader to go in hiding. "An operation has been launched to arrest Tikait. Under the operation all the police officers belonging to his caste have been called in Muzaffarnagar to persuade him to court arrest," a police source told IANS.

By IANS New Delhi : A city court Friday issued a warrant for inter-state gangster Brijesh Singh to be brought before it April 19 for trial in an extortion case. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjeev Jain issued the warrant after Mumbai Police failed to present him before the court. Mumbai Police had sought Singh's custody Feb 4 so that he could be tried in a Mumbai court for his alleged involvement in the 1992 JJ Hospital shooting case. He allegedly worked for the Dawood gang in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, and is suspected of links with politicians.

By IRNA

Srinagar : In what is seen to be a breakdown of politico-territorial boundaries in Kashmir, hardline anti-India leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani is addressing a public rally in the former stronghold of counter insurgents backed by Indian army on Friday for the first time since the armed uprising.

While the pro-India National Conference held a convention Wednesday in a militant stronghold famously known as Tora Bora in south Kashmir, where the party had not dared to venture for the past 19 years.

By TwoCircles.net staff reporter

New Delhi : "The exclusive front-page report which appeared in the Hindustan Times today (Mumbai and Bhopal editions) linking Jamaat-e-Islami Hind with the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) is misleading, baseless and defamatory in nature, said Secretary-General Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Nusrat Ali in a press statement issued here Wednesday.

By IANS, New Delhi : In the wake of increasing incidents of cyber crime, the central government has formulated Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) to provide reactive and proactive support to counter cyber crimes in the country. "The home ministry is implementing a project called Common Integrated Police Application (CIPA) in all states in a phased manner as part of the modernisation of police force," Minister of State for Home Affairs Sriprakash Jaiswal told parliament in a written reply Wednesday.

By IANS, Patna : Four suspected Maoist guerrillas were arrested in Bihar Tuesday, the police said. Acting on a tip-off, the police arrested the Maoist rebels from near Kotwali police station in the heart of Patna, the police said. Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar said the arrested Maoists were involved in cases of criminal activity and wanted by the police. The Maoists, identified as Saroj Ravidas, Birendra Das, Sanjay Yadav and Kuldip Yadav, were active members of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist), the police said.

By IANS, Srinagar : The moderate faction of Jammu and Kashmir's separatist Hurriyat Conference has invited New Delhi for a "meaningful dialogue". The move comes soon after US President George W. Bush's statement following his meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani that the Kashmir issue was ripe for solution.

By IANS,

New Delhi : A special tribunal here Tuesday lifted the ban on the Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), desingated a terror organisation by the government, but the home ministry put up a brave face saying it would take corrective steps before the revocation of the ban is implemented.

"The material given by the home ministry is insufficient, so the ban cannot be continued," Justice Geeta Mittal, a Delhi High Court judge who headed the tribunal, said in her 267-page order that was given to the ministry late Tuesday in a sealed cover.