US pushes Iran on support to Iraq insurgents
Washington/Baghdad : The US has pushed Iran about its support of violent militia in Iraq but said it was "encouraged" by the positive attitude brought by the Iranians to the first substantial encounter between the two countries in 27 years.
Nine Chhattisgarh cops killed in landmine blasts
Raipur : Nine policemen were killed and two injured in simultaneous landmine blasts triggered by outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) cadres in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district late Monday, police said.
Four killed in Kashmir cloudburst
Srinagar : Four people were killed and two wounded Monday evening in a cloudburst near Jammu and Kashmir's mountain resort of Pahalgam in Anantnag district.
Modi’s woes on ‘staged killings’ set to multiply
New Delhi : The Gujarat government's woes over allegations of staged killings in the state are set to multiply as an NGO is to approach the Supreme Court Tuesday over extra-judicial execution of one more Muslim youth in the state in 2002.
Nine Chhattisgarh cops killed in landmine blasts
Raipur : Nine policemen were killed in simultaneous landmine blasts triggered by Maoist rebels in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district Monday night, an official said.
"Nine policemen were killed and two were injured in the blasts," Giridhari Nayak, inspector general (Maoist operations), told IANS on telephone from Bastar.
US-Iran meet in Baghdad focuses on Iraq security
Washington/Baghdad : Officials from the US and Iran in their first formal talks in almost three decades met in Iraq Monday to discuss the security situation in the country.
Delhi court pulls up CBI in Jha murder case
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Monday pulled up the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for failing to put arguments in proper perspective in the Shashi Nath Jha murder case, in which former minister Shibu Soren was sentenced to life by a lower court last year.
Senior aides of Hasina, Khaleda arrested
Dhaka : Bangladesh's army-led joint forces Monday detained senior politicians, including Awami League's general secretary Abdul Jalil, in the interim government's ongoing drive against corruption.
Punjab vigilance grills Amarinder for seven hours
Patiala : The Punjab vigilance bureau Monday questioned former chief minister Amarinder Singh of the Congress for over seven hours in connection with a Rs.30 billion ($740 million) corruption case relating to construction of the sprawling Ludhiana City Centre.
Baghdad explosion kills 16
Baghdad : A car bomb explosion in central Baghdad Monday killed at least 16 Iraqis and wounded 28, media reports said.
No clue yet to 300 missing diplomatic passports
New Delhi : Four days after the reported loss of 300 blank diplomatic passports from the capital's domestic airport, investigating agencies have failed to trace the baggage in which these had arrived.
One dies in Maoist attack on CPI-M leader’s house
Kolkata : Maoists late Sunday attacked the house of a Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader in West Midnapore district of West Bengal, killing his father-in-law, police said Monday.
Six killed in Sri Lanka blast
Colombo : At least six people were killed and over 30 injured in a powerful claymore bomb explosion in the outskirts of Sri Lanka's capital, a military spokesman said Monday.
Apex court refuses to stay warrant against Raj Thackeray
Fissures resurface in coalition: Congress, PDP again lock horns over troop cut
Army foils infiltration bid, three guerrillas killed
Srinagar : The Indian army killed three intruders in Kupwara district in north Kashmir and foiled an infiltration bid at the Line of Control (LoC), a defence spokesman said here Monday.
Bangladesh hit by storms, five killed by lightning
Dhaka : At least five people were killed as lightning hit rice terraces in northern Bangladesh with heavy showers pounding villages across the country, media reports said Monday.
Court pulls up Bihar government over abductions
Patna : The Patna High Court Monday ordered the Bihar chief secretary to search for 307 missing children and 432 missing women in the state and submit a report by Aug 2, even as it expressed concern over the rising graph of abductions.
New outfit emerges front-runner in Malegaon polls
Malegaon (Maharashtra) : A newly launched development-oriented outfit Monday stunned established political parties and captured the highest number of seats in the civic elections in the communally sensitive Malegaon town in south Maharashtra.
Eight children escape from Jharkhand remand home
Ranchi : Eight children Monday escaped from a remand home in Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand, police said.
Hyderabad blasts: accused sent to judicial custody
Hyderabad : A court here Monday remanded Shoaib Jagirdar, who was arrested in connection with a blast at the historic Mecca Masjid here, in judicial custody for 14 days for attempting to obtain a fake passport.
Kolkata residents lynch goon, celebrate holi
Kolkata : A mob of residents in a south Kolkata neighbourhood took law into their hands by lynching a local goon who had been torturing and extorting money from people. And hundreds of women celebrated his death by playing an untimely holi by smearing each other with colours.
Another ‘staged killing’ surfaces in Gujarat
New Delhi : Another case of an alleged staged killing in Gujarat has surfaced with the victim's father urging the Supreme Court to order a federal probe into his son's death in 2004.
Abu Salem to stay in police custody till June 1
New Delhi : Alleged mobster Abu Salem, the prime accused in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case, would stay in Delhi Police custody till June 1 as it is probing a third case of extortion registered against him here, a local court ruled Monday.
Police kill four militants in Pakistan
Islamabad : Four suspected militants were killed Monday in an exchange of fire with police in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province, an official said.
Palestinians fire more missiles on southern Israel
Tel Aviv : Palestinian militants fired more missiles on southern Israel Monday morning, one of which struck Sderot city as Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz was in his hometown casting his ballot for primaries in his coalition Labour Party.
Pakistan warns of 10,000 illegal immigrants bound for Europe
Islamabad : Pakistan's embassy in Athens has been alerted by authorities in Islamabad that some 10,000 illegal immigrants are being moved to Greece and Italy via Turkey by a criminal network in collusion with corrupt officials, a press report said Monday.
Promote professional education among Muslims: Lt-Governor
ByTwoCircles.net staff reporter
Maoists trigger blast in Orissa
Bhubaneswar : A landmine exploded in Orissa's Malkangiri district Monday morning partially damaging a bus but leaving its passengers unhurt.
Four sorcerers arrested in Bihar
Patna : Four sorcerers, who claimed to cure women who had trouble conceiving by exorcising them of evil spirits, had been arrested in Bihar's Vaishali district, police sources said Monday.
US-Iran meeting to focus on Iraq security
Washington : Bush administration officials were set Monday to hold their first formal talks with Iran since relations with the Islamic republic were snapped in the wake of the Iran hostage crisis in 1979.
Three Afghan policemen, two insurgents killed
Kabul : Three Afghan policemen and two Taliban insurgents were killed in separate clashes in the central Ghazni province, police said Monday.
Vigilance starts questioning Amarinder in corruption case
Patiala : The Punjab vigilance bureau Monday started questioning former Congress chief minister Amarinder Singh in connection with a Rs.30 billion ($740 million) corruption case relating to construction of the sprawling Ludhiana City Centre.
Ujjain mayor in the dock for marrying minor son to teen
Bhopal : The mayor of Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain town is in trouble for allegedly getting her 18-year-old adopted son married to a girl who is not yet 15.
When the magic takes over: the Qawwals of Nizamuddin
Lebanon sets deadline for end to standoff
Beirut : Lebanon has given Palestinian mediating groups until the middle of the week to negotiate an end to a standoff between the Lebanese troops and an Islamist militia holed up in a northern refugee camp.
Olmert announces new attack on Hamas
Tel Aviv/Gaza : Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has announced new strikes against the militant Islamist movement Hamas after another deadly missile attack on the Israeli border town of Sderot.
Delivering the green message in children
By Vishal Arora
IANSNew Delhi : Pallavi Gulati learnt about environmental conservation when she was in class eight. Ten years later, she remains committed to the cause - thanks to her school that helped her imbibe eco-friendly values.
Mira Nair, Asha Parekh honoured at Bollywood awards in New York
By Parveen Chopra
IANSNew York : About 10,000 fans from across the United States, Canada and even the Caribbean packed the Nassau Coliseum at Long Island for the Bollywood Movie Awards 2007 where Hollywood actor Danny Glover, director Mira Nair and former actress Asha Parekh were among those honoured.
Sanmarga Editor Ibrahim Saeed is no more
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Mangalore : Editor Kannada weekly Sanmarga Ibrahim Saeed breathed his last here in the early hours of Sunday following his illness for the past six months. He was 62.
Mr. Saeed was recognised not only as Editor Sanmarga (which means the Righteous Path) for the last 30 years but as a thinker and scholar in the State.
Gunmen kidnap 40 people in Iraq
Baghdad : Gunmen manning faked checkpoints Sunday abducted more then 40 people on the main road near Samarra city in Salahudin province in Iraq, a provincial police source said.
Urdu dailies point “Hindu extremists’ hand”? in Makkah Masjid blast
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi : In the opinion articles published in Urdu dailies Akhbar-e-Mashriq and Hindustan Express here Sunday, the leader writers have pointed their fingers towards Hindu extremist organisations for exploding bomb blast in the historic Makkah Masjid of Hyderabad.
Three arrested in Delhi with fake currency notes
New Delhi : Three people including a woman have been arrested after fake currency notes worth more than half a million rupees were found from their possession, Delhi Police said Sunday.
300 diplomatic passports missing from Delhi airport
Bachchan’s land deal to come up before court Monday
Lucknow :An Uttar Pradesh court is scheduled to hear Monday a case related to alleged irregularities in allotting a plot of government land to Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
Taliban launches new countrywide operation in Afghanistan
Kabul : The Taliban said Sunday it had launched a new countrywide operation against Afghan and international forces as the group released three abducted Afghan aid workers.
Sindh Court takes note of Karachi violence
Karachi : The Sindh High Court has taken notice of the May 12 Karachi violence that left 41 dead, converting a report from its registrar into a petition, and issued notices to senior police and Sindh government officials for Monday.
‘Absolute power corrupts absolutely,’ Chaudhry reminds Musharraf
Islamabad : Pakistan's suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has a message for President General Pervez Musharraf: "Absolute power corrupts absolutely".
Afghan clash kills 10 militants, 2 policemen
Kabul : A clash killed 10 Taliban militants and two Afghan policemen in the southern Kandahar province, a local official said Sunday.
Pakistani opposition leader barred from Karachi
Islamabad : Pakistani opposition leader Imran Khan was Sunday prevented from visiting the southern city of Karachi where he had planned to meet families of victims of recent political violence that killed 41 people.
Gunmen kill three police officers in northern Iraq
Tikrit (Iraq) : Gunmen killed three police officers in two attacks in the Sunni-dominated Salahudin province north of Baghdad, police said Sunday.
Taliban to launch nationwide offensive in Afghanistan
Kabul : The Taliban has threatened to launch a fierce nationwide offensive against government and foreign targets in Afghanistan from Sunday.
EU-Iran nuclear talks postponed
Tehran : The proposed next round of nuclear talks between Iran's nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana has been postponed.
Awami League seeks India’s advice on electoral reforms
Dhaka : The Awami League, Bangladesh's oldest political party, has approached India, Britain, the US and Australia for inputs on electoral reforms, re-drafting its constitution and fund-gathering, to make its functioning more democratic and transparent.
Israeli killed in rocket attack in Sderot
Gaza/Tel Aviv : An Israeli was killed in Palestinian rocket attack on the southern Israeli border town of Sderot.
10,000 Pakistani police withdrawn from mosque operation
Islamabad : Angry Pakistani police chiefs have withdrawn 10,000 officers earmarked for a possible storming operation against a radical mosque in Islamabad after they were abandoned without food, water or accommodation by authorities, media reported Sunday.
Three kidnapped Afghan aid workers released
Kabul : The Taliban said Sunday that it had released three Afghan aid workers who were kidnapped with two French nationals nearly two months ago.
Security alert in Bhutan after bomb threats
By Syed Zarir Hussain
IANSThimphu : Security forces have been put on alert in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan with Nepal-based separatists threatening to stage a series of bomb attacks during Monday's mock elections.
Sudanese president says Darfur issue ‘heading for solution’
Khartoum : Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir has said the crisis in the western Sudanese region of Darfur was "heading for solution".
A simple Kashmir marriage the rich would envy
By F. Ahmed
IANSMachan (Jammu and Kashmir) : When a marriage stirs a humble hamlet to life, its joys cannot be rivalled by the big bashes of high profile weddings. And so it was in this village.
MP quota for Hajj pilgrims may be hiked
Khalid Rauf nominated to MANIT’s Board of Governors
By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net
Bhopal: Khalid Rauf of Bhopal has been nominated as Member on the Board of Governors of Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT), Bhopal.
   He has been nominated by the Govt. of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Higher Education. His nomination is for a period of five years.
Hyderabad blast probe drawing to naught?
Hyderabad : The probe into the blasts at Hyderabad's Mecca Masjid seem to be drawing a naught with the police saying that the lone suspect arrested may not be linked to the terror act at all.
When Mao ruled hearts in Delhi University
By Sri Krishna
IANSNew Delhi : Armed only with idealism and Mao's Red Book, some of the brightest in Delhi's colleges embraced Maoism four decades ago, determined to usher in a communist revolution in India, even at the cost of their career. Many of these 'revolutionaries' wonder today if it was at all worth the pain.
Fighting renewed in Palestinian camp in Lebanon
Nahr al-Bared (Lebanon) : A fragile ceasefire between the Lebanese army and Al Qaeda-linked Muslim militants was broken late Saturday as machinegun fire and rocket exchanges could be heard across the Palestinian refugee camp at the centre of the struggle.
Indians among illegal workers held in Scotland
London : Indians are among 700 immigrants arrested working illegally in Scotland in the last three years, according to official figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.
Israeli strikes on Hamas kill five, two dead at border
Gaza/Ramallah : Five people were killed and five wounded in latest Israeli airstrikes on security forces of the Islamic Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.
A Hindu’s love for an ancient Sufi shrine
By Gunjana Roy
IANSBhagalpur (Bihar) : For eight long years, a 65-year-old Hindu man has been managing with care and devotion a Sufi shrine after Muslims hit hard by the 1989 communal violence gave it up.
‘Contract killer’ arrested in Delhi
New Delhi : A man has been arrested here for allegedly killing seven people in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, police said Saturday, adding that the accused used to charge between Rs.100,000 and Rs.2 million for each killing.
Pakistan takes steps to contain bird flu outbreak
Islamabad : Pakistani authorities have intensified monitoring of over 800 poultry farms in the capital following an outbreak of bird flu in five poultry farms there, an official said Saturday.
Court summons Narayana Murthy over national anthem row
Bangalore : A local court Saturday summoned Infosys chief mentor N.R. Narayana Murthy to appear before it on June 21 in connection with his alleged insult to the national anthem.
No link between religion, terrorism: seminar participants
New Delhi : Speakers from across the socio-political spectrum participating in a conference on "Islam and Terrorism" Saturday opined that terrorism cannot be linked to any religion and many of them attributed the rise of the phenomenon to "western imperial interests".
Chhattisgarh orders magisterial enquiry into police brutality
Raipur : The Chhattisgarh government Friday ordered a magisterial enquiry into Thursday's alleged police atrocities on villagers in Sarguja district in which more than 35 people protesting the mystery death of a hotel owner were injured.
Lawyers, activists hold protest rallies in Islamabad
Islamabad : Thousands of lawyers and opposition activists held rallies in the Pakistani capital Saturday evening to support suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry as he was to address diplomats and the legal fraternity in the city.
Manmohan Singh condemns Guwahati blast
Indian American businessman accused of spending company money lavishly
New York : Indian American businessman Vinod Gupta, known for his proximity to former US president Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, has been accused by his shareholders of lavishly spending company money on high-profile guests.
Bakhtiar refuses to withdraw resignation
Islamabad : Pakistan's Tourism Minister Nilofer Bakhtiar has refused to take back her resignation over a controversial hug despite a request from the Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, media reported Saturday.
Chaudhry’s case is of public importance: Pakistan Supreme Court
Islamabad : The unrest in the country and bloodshed on the roads have made suspended Pakistan chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry's case a matter of public importance, the Supreme Court has held.
Pakistani boy faces seven years’ jail for hate crime
New York : A teenager of Pakistani origin is facing up to seven years imprisonment after he ripped off the turban of a Sikh student and cut off his hair at a high school here.
Slain Pakistani court official’s family granted compensation
Islamabad : The family of a slain court official, who was tipped to be a key witness in the suspended chief justice's case before the Pakistani Supreme Court, has been granted Rs.10 million in compensation.
Muslim groups demand suspension of ‘guilty’ cops
Hyderabad : Muslim organisations Saturday demanded immediate suspension of police officers involved in 'unwarranted' and 'unprovoked' firing on protestors following the bomb blast at the historic Mecca Masjid here on May 18.
Blast kills seven in Guwahati
Guwahati : At least seven people were killed and 30 injured here Saturday in a powerful explosion blamed on the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
Two Japanese students gang raped in Pakistan
Islamabad : Police have arrested a person for being involved in an alleged gang rape of two Japanese students in the central Pakistani city of Lahore, officials said on Saturday.
Pakistani doctors arrested for illegal kidney removals
Islamabad : Police in the Pakistani city of Lahore have arrested four doctors engaged in the illegally removing human kidneys, officials said Saturday.
Israeli Army arrests Hamas minister
Jerusalem : The Israeli Army has arrested a Palestinian minister belonging to the radical Islamic Hamas movement in the town of Jenin in the West bank, Israeli Radio reported Saturday.
Assam blast kills seven
Guwahati : A bomb blast blamed on the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) here Saturday killed at least seven people and injured 20, official sources said.
Security up for two Orissa ministers
Bhubaneswar : Security has been beefed up for two Orissa ministers following intelligence reports that they face renewed death threats from Maoist guerrillas.
Bomb kills two Pakistani soldiers
Islamabad : Two soldiers were killed Saturday and seven others injured when a roadside bomb exploded near a military convoy in Pakistan's troubled northwestern region bordering Afghanistan, said an official.
Rs.200 crore land scam near Greater Noida?
By Sharat Pradhan
IANSLucknow : Uttar Pradesh's new government has unearthed a scandal surrounding auction of prime land near Greater Noida close to Delhi, and a senior official said it was perpetrated by a clique close to a top Samajwadi Party leader.
Muslims submit memo to PM on Hyderabad police action
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
New Delhi : Some concerned Muslims belonging to different organisations submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here Thursday demanding CBI enquiry into Hyderabad police firing, suspension and detention of erring police officials, Rs. 10 lakh compensation each to the kins of the deceased and judicial enquiry into fake encounters.
Militants seize 10 oil workers, release three in Nigeria
Abuja : Militants in southern Nigeria's oil-rich delta have kidnapped 10 oil workers on Friday, but released three of them later in the day.
Israeli airstrike kills three Hamas members
Gaza : Israeli aircraft struck a car in Gaza city, killing three militants from Hamas' military wing, Palestinian sources and paramedics said.
Islamabad fights jitters amid mosque militancy
 DPA
Islamabad : As Pakistanis grow accustomed to stick-wielding militant students prowling the streets of Islamabad with apparent impunity, residents live with the daily threat of serious unrest exploding on their doorstep.
Marijuana worth Rs.700,000 seized in Orissa, 3 held
Bhubaneswar : Three people were arrested Friday on charges of possessing marijuana worth Rs.700,000 in Orissa's Malkangiri district, an excise official said.
Student pulls out gun at professor in Meerut
Meerut : A student threatened a professor with a gun when he was caught cheating during a university exam here, police said.
North Korea fires missiles towards Sea of Japan
Tokyo/Seoul : North Korea fired a number of short-range missile Friday morning towards the Sea of Japan, South Korea's military confirmed.
Al-Sadr calls for US pull-out, deal with Sunnis
Baghdad : Shia cleric and militia leader Moqtada al-Sadr called Friday for the pull-out of US troops from Iraq, as he announced his readiness to "cooperate" with Sunnis.
Dutt’s sentencing in Mumbai blasts deferred
By IANS
Mumbai : The sentencing of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, convicted under the Arms Act for the 1993 Mumbai blasts, was deferred Friday as he was given permission of absence on his father Sunil Dutt's second death anniversary.
Muslims pack BJP minority forum
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday constituted the national executive of its Minority Morcha ignoring almost all minorities other than Muslims.
Dawood’s sister Hasina questions passport refusal
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court will hear on October 23 a plea by Hasina Ibrahim Parker, sister of 1993 Mumbai blasts prime accused Dawood Ibrahim, questioning the Indian government's refusal to issue her a passport.
‘Young Maoists’ stone US ambassador
By Sudeshna Sarkar
IANSKathmandu : The American ambassador to Nepal was Friday stoned by the youth wing of the Communist Party of Nepal just as a group of European envoys met the party's chief to express concern about the controversial young rebels, a television channel reported.
Pakistan locates 98 illegal detainees
Islamabad : Pakistani authorities Friday informed the Supreme Court in Islamabad that 98 victims of illegal detention, or "forced disappearances", have now been located, while 156 more were still unaccounted for.
11 Punjab officials suspended for diverting funds
Chandigarh : Eleven executive officers (EOs) of various municipal councils in Punjab were Friday suspended and 27 were named for punishment after it was found that they had diverted funds to the tune of Rs.200 million.
93.29 percent Gulf students pass CBSE Class 12 exams
New Delhi : The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 students in Gulf countries have recorded a 93.29 pass percentage this year - a decline of 1.13 percent in comparison to 2006.
14 rebels killed in fighting in Sri Lanka
Colombo : Military forces shot dead 14 rebels in three separate incidents in Sri Lanka as a key road linking government controlled areas and rebel held areas in the northern part of the country remained closed due to fighting between the two sides, officials said Friday.
Six US soldiers and interpreter killed in Iraq
Baghdad : The US army in Iraq announced Friday that six soldiers and an interpreter were killed and four others wounded in attacks Thursday across Iraq.
Indian Army soldier gets death penalty for killing colleague
Jammu : In the second such judgment in three months, an Indian Army soldier has been sentenced to death for shooting dead his colleague, a defence ministry spokesperson here said Friday.
Another haul of explosives in Uttar Pradesh
Lucknow : Is Uttar Pradesh sitting on a powder keg? The question has begun doing the rounds since the state police made a major haul of explosives close on the heel of two other similar incidents this week.
Man held for supplying drugs to Maninder’s aide
New Delhi : Delhi Police have arrested a small time drug peddler for allegedly supplying banned narcotics to former India cricketer Maninder Singh's friend Saim Siddiqui.
PML-Q hints at early decision on Musharraf’s uniform
Lahore : A senior official of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League- Qaid (PML-Q) has hinted at President Pervez Musharraf taking an early decision on the contentious issue of holding the dual post of army chief.
Nepal offers reward for fugitive Indian’s arrest
Kathmandu : Nepal has announced a reward for the capture of an Indian who is suspected of being the kingpin in a drug network and who staged an audacious escape from the capital's police station.
Dera seeks apex court protection against Akal Takht threat
New Delhi : The Dera Sacha Sauda sect Friday moved the Supreme Court seeking its intervention against an ultimatum by the Akal Takht that the sect vacate its premises across the country by May 27 and the members stop their activities.
Eight sentenced for 5-10 years in Mumbai blasts case
Mumbai : A special court in Mumbai Friday sentenced eight people involved in the 1993 serial blasts to five-10 years rigorous imprisonment for their role in transporting and concealing arms and weapons.
Arrest could give leads on Mecca Masjid blast
Mumbai : Andhra Pradesh Police along with the Maharashtra anti-terrorist squad have made an arrest that could throw light on the Mecca Masjid blast in Hyderabad a week ago, police here said Friday.
Terror can’t bring change, says Naxalism’s founding leader
By Sujoy Dhar
IANS
Naxalbari (West Bengal) : At his humble mud house here in north Bengal, Kanu Sanyal battles senility, age and a blurring eyesight. But the fire of the ultra-left revolution, known as the Naxalite movement after the village where it began 40 years ago, has not dimmed in his heart although he no longer supports his own anarchist past.
Arms recovered from Maoist hideouts in Jharkhand
Ranchi : Jharkhand Police have recovered arms, incriminating documents and explosives among other things from Maoist rebel hideouts.
Government not forthcoming on Kashmir, Pak MPs complain
Islamabad : Charging that the government was not taking parliament into confidence on the dialogue with India on Kashmir, Pakistan's opposition lawmakers asked Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri whether he was "really in the loop".
Indian worker in Bahrain commits suicide
Dubai : An Indian worker in Bahrain allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in his room just a day after returning from his sister's marriage in Kerala.
Bangladesh upgrades its top military brass
Dhaka : In a significant strategic development, Bangladesh has upgraded its military top brass and will have its first four-star general.
Judges most corrupt in Nepal: report
Kathmandu : Nepal's judges are among the most corrupt in the country, forcing people to seek justice from Maoist guerrillas, says a report compiled by a senior lawyer.
Six injured in southern Nepal blast
Kathmandu : At least six people were injured in a bomb explosion in southern Nepal, the latest in a series of blasts to hit the region, police said Friday.
Hyderabad mosque ‘taqts’ to be reconstructed after blast
Hyderabad : The 'taqts', or marble platforms, at the historic Mecca Masjid, that were smashed to smithereens in last Friday's bomb blast, will be rebuilt by the government.
They have stars in their eyes, compassion in heart
By Shyam Pandharipande
IANSNagpur : Ten days after making the grade, Vinod's eyes still well up every time his illiterate father talks to visitors or telephone callers about his son's hard won success in clearing the Indian civil services exam.
Curbs on Khaleda on Zia’s death anniversary
Dhaka : Bangladesh will next week officially observe the death anniversary of one of its heroes, slain President Ziaur Rahman. But his widow, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Khaleda Zia, can take only up to 20 people to pray at his grave.
NAM and Palestine call for Gaza ceasefire
United Nations : Non Aligned Movement (NAM) countries and Palestine have called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as violence erupted between Hamas and Israel in recent days.
Muslims demand CBI probe into all blast cases
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi : A large number of Muslim Ulema and scholars staged a sit-in under the banner of All India Deeni Madaris Board at Jantar Mantar here Thursday to protest the recent Hyderabad and Gorakhpur blasts.
Israel arrests senior Hamas officials
Ramallah/Gaza : Israel has arrested 33 senior Hamas officials in raids throughout the West Bank, widening a campaign against the ruling Palestinian party in response to more than a week of intense rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.
Priests preferred to doctors for cure in Arunachal
By Syed Zarir Hussain
IANSTepia (Arunachal Pradesh) : Hundreds of tribal people in Arunachal Pradesh still rely on community priests rather than medical practitioners to cure diseases.
Protest conference on ‘Huqooq-e-Insaniyat & Husool-e-Insaf’ in Bhopal
Army Jawan gets death sentence for killing senior
IAEA head calls for total atomic ban; Iran defiant
Luxembourg : Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), called Thursday for a worldwide ban on nuclear weapons as Iran continued defiance over its nuclear programme.
Robbers flee with Rs.250,000 in Orissa
Bhubaneswar : Robbers looted a total of Rs.250,000 in two separate incidents in western Orissa, police said Thursday.
Bid to blast Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus foiled
New Delhi : Security personnel averted a major tragedy Thursday by detecting 20 kg of explosives planted near Srinagar on the route of the weekly peace bus service linking the city with Muzaffarabad.
Police get court’s nod to quiz Abu Salem
New Delhi : Delhi Police Thursday was allowed by a city court to interrogate extradited mobster Abu Salem, facing trial for masterminding and funding the March 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, for his role in trying to extort Rs.50 million from a city-based businessman in 2002.
Andhra Pradesh recommends CBI probe into mosque blast
Hyderabad : The Andhra Pradesh government Thursday night recommended to the central government to order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) enquiry into the May 18 bomb blast at the historic Mecca Masjid here and announced a judicial probe into the subsequent police firing.
Deal to end Pakistan-Afghan border clashes
Islamabad : Tribal elders of Pakistan and Afghanistan Thursday signed a ceasefire agreement to put an end to a recent spate of border clashes, local media reported.
Dawood’s sister granted bail in extortion case
Mumbai : A local court Thursday cancelled the non-bailable warrants issued against Hasina Parkar, the sister of fugitive mobster and India's most wanted criminal Dawood Ibrahim, and granted her bail on a personal bond of Rs.25,000.
CBI arrests two Delhi cops for accepting bribe
New Delhi : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two Delhi Police officials for allegedly demanding and accepting Rs.30,000 from a housewife for settling a false complaint registered against her.
American, accused of paedophilia, arrested in India
Chennai : Police have arrested a 60-year-old American, wanted in his country for sexual offences against children, from the seaside town of Mahabalipuram near here.
IMC-USA condemns the bomb blasts in Gorakhpur
Urdu daily holds seminar on 1857
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi : Urdu daily Hindustan Express is all set to organise a seminar on First War of Independence 1857 at Aiwan-e-Ghalib here on June 3, 2007. The seminar aims to address two important aspects of this historical event, which are being widely ignored by both the government machinery and the mainstream media during the ongoing celebrations of 1857: (i) The Role of Urdu Journalism in Freedom Struggle, and (ii) The Role of Ulema in Freedom Struggle.
Interview with Vrinda Grover, lawyer for Hashimpura victims
Interview with Hashimpura victims
Lucknow: Interview with Lucknow based journalist Nasiruddin Haider Khan and two eye witnesses of the Hashimpura massacre by PAC.
Listen to his interview:
Hashimpura survivors file 615 RTI applications in 20 years long pursuit of justice
After 20 years, Hashimpura survivors find hope in RTI Act
by Bobby Ramakant
Even twenty years after the sordid Hashimpura massacre in Uttar Pradesh, in which Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel allegedly gunned down over 40 people on 22 May 1987 (all muslim), justice remains still out of sight.
Orissa cop gets reprieve from Rajasthan court
Jaipur : B.B. Mohanty, a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from Orissa whose rape-convict son has escaped from a jail, got a reprieve from a court here Thursday as it refused to issue a non-bailable warrant against him.
Friday approaches, security tightened at Mecca Masjid
Hyderabad : As the historic Mecca Masjid prepares for prayers this Friday - a week after a bomb exploded there - elaborate security arrangements have been made across the city.
Israel arrests 33 senior Hamas officials in West Bank
Ramallah/Gaza : Widening its campaign against the ruling Palestinian party in response to more than a week of intense rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, Israel arrested 33 senior Hamas officials in raids throughout the West Bank Thursday.
Six policemen, 18 suspected Taliban killed in Afghanistan
Kabul : A district chief along with six policemen were killed in an explosion in the south-eastern province of Paktika while Afghan and US led coalition forces killed 18 suspected Taliban in two clashes in southern Afghanistan, officials said Thursday.
Mumbai blasts: Two Tiger Memon aides among six sentenced
Mumbai : A special court Thursday sentenced six people, including two close aides of absconding key conspirator in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts Tiger Memon, to jail ranging between five and 14 years for their role in smuggling of contraband explosives used in the bombings.
Urdu Akademy opens 1857 programmes
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi : Urdu Akademy Delhi will hold the inaugural session of its programmes to mark the ongoing celebrations of First War of Independence 1857 at Aiwan-e-Ghalib here at 5 p.m. Thursday.
Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit will inaugurate the session while Vice-Chancellor Jamia Millia Islamia Professor Mushirul Hassan will preside over the programme. Khwaja Hassan Thani Nizami and Mr. Naseem Mirza Changezi, who is the grandson of Gen. Bakht Khan, will grace the occasion as Chief Guests.