Mumbai violence: Media’s reporting questioned
By TwoCircles.net special correspondent,
Mumbai: Many fear that media is taking its revenge by its aggressive reporting on Azad Maidan violence.
‘Closure of camps is not the solution’
By Mahtab Alam, TwoCircles.net
Assam Violence 2012: Stories from the ground: Part 3
Saudi Arabia frees detained Indian terror suspect
By IANS,
Bangalore : Saudi Arabian police have released Indian doctor Usman Ghani from 20-day detention after their investigation revealed he had no terror links as suspected earlier.
Kashmir panchayat candidate injured in firing
By IANS,
Srinagar : A panchayat candidate was shot at by separatist guerrillas in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district Tuesday, police said.
Even Delhi’s minority district facing same bureaucratic apathy
By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net,
AIMPLB’s protest meeting on Waqf bill, RTE on July 24
By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net,
2700 crores for dalits but just 45 crores for Muslims in Mayawati’s budget
By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net,
Bangalore blasts 2008: Madani’s lawyers point out loopholes in prosecution’s case
By Staff Correspondent, TwoCircles.net,
Muslim youths tortured after Modi’s call to release the detained tourists
By TCN Staff Reporter,
State-level Qur’an Quiz Competition organized in Imphal
By Syed Ahmed, for TwoCircles.net,
40-day harshest winter period ‘Chillai Kalan’ begins in Kashmir
By Sheikh Imran Bashir, Agence India Press,
Mecca Masjid gets new marble ‘takht’ four years after the blast
By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
‘Bio health monitoring system’ to ensure health security of Narmada River
By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,
Bhopal: A first of its kind scientific initiative in the country is going to be made in Madhya Pradesh for ensuring health security of Narmada River.
UP Govt builds road on Deoband cleric’s field of standing wheat crop
By TCN Special Correspondent,
Qateel’s “killers” arrested, Jailer suspended, media report says
By TCN Staff Reporter,
By-election for Jangipur seat today: Voters to decide fate of President’s son
In this Muslim majority constituency, principal opponents against Congress' Mukherjee are Muslims and hence there might be some dramatic outcome.
By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,
BJP demands Vastanvi’s barred from Gujarat for calling Modi ‘brutal’ and ‘tyrant’
By TCN News,
Ahmedbad: The Bhartiya Janta Party wants Maulana Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi to be barred from entering Gujarat.
SP headed for split as family power struggle intensifies
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party on Sunday appeared headed for a split as Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav ousted uncle Shivpal Yadav and three...
IOS to organize conference on ‘India and Muslim World in 21st Century’
By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,
On 6th day of dharna Rihai Manch lambasts clerics for ‘brokering’ deal with UP...
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
President Mukharjee inaugurates AMU Murshidabad Centre’s campus
By TCN News,
Murshidabad: “Education is the only trusted tool for empowerment and it alone helps people to build a respectable career and character”, said the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee today at Murshidabad in West Bengal. He was addressing at a programme after inaugurating the newly constructed campus of the AMU Murshidabad Centre.
BJP Chief’s apology remark political gimmick: WPI
By TCN News,
New Delhi: Welfare Party of India has termed the BJP’s willingness to apologise to Muslims as mere “political gimmick” and said that it lacked clarity and credibility.
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan’s death centenary celebration: An occasion to create awareness for education
By TCN News,
Shamli: On the 116th Death Anniversary of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Khudai Khidmatgar organized a long cycle rally from Malkpura to Mansaoor in Shamli district on 27th March in which around 20 young people participated. The main slogan of the event was Aadhee roti khayenge bachho ko padhayenge (We will eat half bread, educate children). The rally started at 11 AM from Malakpura and covering distance of 12km through Khurgan, Mandawar, Baserha, Balhara, Pather, Doghpura and Rotan, concluded at 3 PM in Mansoora.
AMU teachers urge Muslims and secular voters to defeat ‘communal and fascist forces’
By TCN News,
Aligarh: The Aligarh Muslim University Teachers’ Association (AMUTA) has appealed to all Muslim and secular voters to vote carefully and defeat communal and fascist forces in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, said Dr. Aftab Alam, Hony Secretary of AMUTA.
UMF backtracks after supporting ‘Modi Bhakt’ for Lok Sabha
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Hyderabad: United Muslim Forum of Andhra Pradesh, an umbrella group of religious leaders, has backtracked from its controversial decision to support Lok Satta party chief Jayparakash Narayan from Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat.
Supreme Court to hear petition against Modi for using the word “Iman” in his...
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi: Supreme Court of India will hear a writ petition against Narendra Modi for using the word “iman” in one...
Will there be a surprise end to Modi’s tale?
By Saeed Naqvi,
If this election campaign is to be remembered like a suspense drama, it must have a surprise end.
What a roller coaster it...
Mystery of PMO’s vanishing Twitter followers
By Prasanto K. Roy,
On May 20, four days after the Congress party and its ruling alliance conceded the mother of all mandates in three decades to the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party, the Twitter handle of the Prime Minister's Office, @PMOIndia, vanished mysteriously.
People’s Alliance condemn the murder of three young persons in Badaun and Pune
By TCN News,
New Delhi: Peoples Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) has condemned the murder of three young persons in Badaun and Pune. In Badaun two cousins were raped and murdered and in Pune a Muslim IT professional was murdered by extremist Hindu mob.
‘Holistic approach being adopted for strengthening higher education sector in Pakistan’
By Aslam Chandio, TwoCircles.net,
Islamabad: Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman Higher Education Commission of Pakistan said that the confidence shown by the Government of Pakistan in HEC’s capacity to develop higher education will be honoured and a holistic approach is being adopted to further strengthen this sector in all regions of the country.
New publication “Neo Aligarian” bilingual fortnightly tabloid to be launched
By TCN News,
Aligarh: A new tabloid “Neo Aligarian” is to be launched soon. The main aim behind publication of Neo Aligarian is to enhance understanding and cooperation between the students of various universities, Jasim Mohammad, publisher of the tabloid said, while chairing a meeting of students and research scholars of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) at Media Centre Aligarh.
Will Britain’s powerful Zionist lobby forgive Sayeeda Warsi?
By M Ghazali Khan,
The first ever female Muslim Minister in the history of Britain, Sayeeda Warsi, has displayed extraordinary courage by resigning as a Foreign Office Minister over David Cameron Government’s “morally indefensible” stand on Israeli barbarism in Gaza.
Encourage competitive spirits amongst our children: Dr. Ausaf Sayeed
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net,
Detroit: “Competition in India is growing so fast that you will lag behind if you are not able to perform to the highest level. You have to give your best,” said Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, the Consul General of India in Detroit on Sunday. Speaking to parents, he said we have to encourage competitive spirit amongst our children.
Jauhar University gets minority status
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Lucknow : Mulayam Singh government of Uttar Pradesh adopted, amidst boycott of Opposition parties, the amendment bill granting minority status to Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar University on the last day of Assembly session here Wednesday.
Addressing the last session of the assembly, the chief minister declared an amendment in Muhammad Ali Jauhar Act 2005, granting the Rampur based University minority status.
Court dismisses Koli plea to change his lawyer
By IANS
Ghaziabad : A special court Friday dismissed an application by Surendra Koli, prime accused in the Nithari serial murders, to change his lawyer and cancel his plea that employer Moninder Singh Pandher's confession be incorporated in a chargesheet related to one of the killings.
Antulay’s Assurance Minority Definition Will Not Be Reviewed Welcomed
By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net
Bhopal : The All India Catholic Union, (AICU), the All India Christian Council, (AICC) and the United Christian Action, (UCA), have welcomed the Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Barrister Abdul Rehman Antulay's assurance that he will ensure that the Union Government does not push through a proposal to redefine religious minorities on the basis of their population in individual States.
Six killed in Israeli-Palestinian violence
By DPA
Gaza : Israel has killed six Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank in separate incidents which included skirmishes with local militants and air strikes in Gaza City and in the southern part of the strip.
The latest Palestinian death came Thursday evening in an Israeli air strike against a militant trying to launch a rocket-propelled grenade at troops near Khan Younis in the southern part of Gaza, an Israeli military spokesman said.
The militant, as well as two others injured in the attack, were from Hamas, medics said.
Gaza : Israel has killed six Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank in separate incidents which included skirmishes with local militants and air strikes in Gaza City and in the southern part of the strip.
The latest Palestinian death came Thursday evening in an Israeli air strike against a militant trying to launch a rocket-propelled grenade at troops near Khan Younis in the southern part of Gaza, an Israeli military spokesman said.
The militant, as well as two others injured in the attack, were from Hamas, medics said.
Backgrounder: Kidnappings in Afghanistan this year
By Xinhua
Kabul : The Taliban has killed a second South Korean hostage held in Afghanistan on Monday night, a purported Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi said.
Due to worsening security, Afghanistan has witnessed a series of kidnappings so far this year.
One British journalist and his three Afghan colleagues were abducted by Taliban militants in the southern Helmand province on February 20, but were released one day later.
Pakistani leader declares Aug 14 as ‘black day’
By IANS
Lahore : A nationalist leader in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan province has asked people to observe a "black day" on Aug 14, when the country celebrates its 60th Independence Day.
Baloch leader Sardar Attaullah Khan Mengal said the decision not to celebrate the Independence Day was to protest against the "suppression of his supporters by the Pakistani government".
Three killed, eight wounded in Kashmir road accident
By IANS
Srinagar : Three people were killed and eight others wounded when an over-loaded minibus carrying devotees from the Hazratbal shrine turned turtle near here Friday.
Police here said the mini bus, returning with devotees after the special Friday prayers at Hazratbal, overturned at Zakura locality, 14 km from here.
"Three people died on the spot while another eight sustained serious injuries in the accident. All the injured have been shifted to hospital," said Javaid Ahmad Koul, superintendent of police (Hazrtabal).
Pak Government replaces Law Minister
By NNN-PTI
Islamabad : Pakistan government today replaced Law and Justice Minister Wasi Zafar, apparently a fallout of the reversal it suffered over the suspension of the country's Chief Justice.
Zahid Hamid, the Minister for Privatisation and Investment, has been made the new Minister for Law and Justice, state-run PTV reported.
Zafar will take over as Privatisation and Investment Minister.
Detained Iranians freed in Iraq
By IRNA
Baghdad : Iran's Ambassador to Iraq Hassan Kazemi Qomi said here Wednesday that members of an Iranian delegation who were detained by the US troops have been released.
US forces arrested an Iranian delegation comprising of experts of Energy Ministry without any explanation Tuesday night.
The Iranians had traveled to Iraq upon an invitation by Iraq's Energy Ministry to carry out electricity projects in the war-stricken country.
Kazemi Qomi added, "US forces delivered the Iranian delegation to Iraqi prime minister's office Wednesday morning."
TV: Al-Qaida’s branch claims responsibility for Algeria bombings
By Xinhua
Algiers : A branch of the notorious al-Qaida organization in the North Africa claimed responsibility for the two suicide bombings that took place in Algeria, pan-Arab satellite TV al-Jazeera reported on Sunday.
Gaza militants attack Israel by homemade rockets, mortars
By Xinhua
Gaza : Fatah's armed wing in Gaza claimed responsibility on Sunday for firing homemade mortars and rockets from northern Gaza Strip at southern Israel.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, said in a statement that its militants fired on Sunday morning a homemade rocket from northern Gaza at the southern Israeli town of Sderot.
Musharraf confident of victory in Presidential poll
By NNN-PTI
Islamabad : Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, who is seeking a second five-year term in uniform in a key poll today, has expressed confidence that he will be re-elected and pledged to quit as Army Chief after the issuance of notification in this regard.
"I will shed the uniform after the issuance of notification regarding my becoming the next President and before being sworn in," he said addressing MPs of the ruling PML-Q and its coalition partners during a dinner at the President House late last night.
Devices used in explosives found at Delhi Metro station
By IANS
New Delhi : Averting a potential tragedy at a Delhi Metro station in northwest Delhi, security officials Saturday recovered a bag containing electronic devices which could have been used in assembling explosives.
"A bag containing electronic devices has been recovered from an unidentified man during the regular frisking of passengers at the security counter of the Rohini Metro station," Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) spokesman Vertul Singh said.
Mahesh Bhatt calls on Rizwanur’s mother
By IANS
Kolkata : Bollywood filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt Wednesday said he had never seen people's solidarity like the one following the death of Muslim youth Rizwanur Rahman here as the director called on the mother of the victim at her residence in the evening.
"In my whole life I never experienced such a situation when all people, despite their different religions, raised a single voice for humanity and justice. I am feeling really great to sit at the feet of Rizwanur's mother today," Bhatt said during his visit to the Tiljala Lane residence of Keshwar Jahan.
Iran’s Jalili is newcomer in nuclear mission
By DPA
Teheran : Iran's new nuclear negotiator Saeid Jalili is headed to Rome on his first mission in the new job -- a meeting with European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
The 42-year-old diplomat, who has served a succession of Iran's leaders going back to 1989 in key background positions, will be travelling with Iran's outgoing chief negotiator Ali Larijani, a decision announced Sunday by the foreign ministry to give added backing to the newcomer on the job.
UN voices concern over Pakistan’s emergency
By DPA
New York : UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Monday voiced "great concern" over Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule in his country.
"He expresses his strong dismay at the detention of hundreds of human rights and opposition activists, including the UN special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief" Asma Jehangir, said a statement issued by Ban.
Ban urged the Pakistani authorities to immediately release those detained, lift restrictions on the media and take early steps for a return to democratic rule.
Pakistan to lift emergency in a month: official
By Xinhua
Islamabad : Emergency in Pakistan will be lifted in a month as the government does not want to make it a permanent feature, Attorney General Malik Qayyum said Saturday.
"It is the government policy to continue the state of emergency till it is needed but the situation is improving and it will be lifted in a month," the government's top lawyer told a private TV channel.
"The state of emergency will be lifted by the mid or end of next month," he said.
Bangladesh joins Trans-Asian Railway network
Dhaka, Nov 11 (IANS) Bangladesh has joined the Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) corridor project that would have three entry points from West Bengal in India and connect the country's rail system to an 81,000-km network stretching from Europe to East and Southeast Asia.
The rail network, first mooted by the UN in 1960, is also dubbed the "Iron Silk Road" after the ancient trade route. It would link capitals, ports and industrial hubs across the 28 Asian countries all the way to Europe.
Hasina wins appeal in graft case
By IANS
Dhaka : A Bangladesh court has invalidated the procedure under which the government has been conducting its anti-corruption drive. The Dhaka High Court has accepted a plea from jailed former prime minister Sheikh Hasina challenging the demand by the country's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) that she submit a statement of her wealth.
The ruling could provide Hasina a brief reprieve and makes the ACC's task difficult as it has adopted the same procedure to issue notices to over 200 people.
Gunmen murder 11 of Iraqi journalist’s family
By DPA
Baghdad : Unidentified gunmen murdered 11 members of an Iraqi journalist's family in east Baghdad, independent Voices of Iraq reported Monday citing a statement by the Iraqi committee to protect journalists.
About seven armed men in a civilian car broke into the house of Diyaa al-Wakaz Sunday, shooting dead all his family members including his wife and children, witnesses said.
Al-Wakaz, who currently lives in Jordan, is the editor of Iraq News Network, a news website which releases its news from the Jordanian capital Amman.
Pakistan lets Gulf royals hunt 200 bustards each
By IANS
Karachi : The Pakistani government has permitted 31 members of the ruling families of four Gulf states to hunt up to 200 bustards each during the 2007-08 season.
Nine permits have been issued to the ruling family of Qatar, and five each to the rulers of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Seven members of the Saudi ruling family and five of Bahrain have also received permits from the foreign ministry.
"The permits are person-specific, each with a bag limit of 200 birds, and forbid the trapping and netting of the bird and poaching of chicks and eggs," Dawn reported Tuesday.
Dhaka seeks food for disaster relief, not funds
By IANS
Dhaka : Bangladesh has said it would request donors to give food grains instead of funds for disaster relief after the Nov 15 Cyclone Sidr to help curb rising food prices at home.
It also decided to allow open market sale at private outlets to curb the rise of rice prices by one or two taka ever day. One US dollar fetches around 60 taka.
There were reports attributing the price rise to India, which has hiked its export price. India had pledged 500,000 tonnes of rice for the cyclone victims.
Development, not empty slogans, is my agenda: Kashmir CM
Press Release, NAK
Samba : Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Ghulam Nabi Azad has said that any attempt to mislead the people by false slogans needed to be frustrated and his party would resist those who try to divert people's attention from development to hollow promises.
Apex court makes special team to probe Gujarat riot
New Delhi, March 25 (IANS) The Supreme Court Tuesday decided to constitute a special team headed by former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director R.K Raghavan to probe 10 crucial cases of 2002 communal carnage in Gujarat.
A bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat, P. Sathasivam and Aftab Alam took the decision while hearing a bunch of petitions seeking either a probe into these cases by the CBI or transfer of their trial outside the state.
The bench, however, decided to pass the formal order, constituting a "special investigation team (SIT)" for the probe Wednesday.
Kathmandu closure Wednesday over Maoist killing
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Putting aside their differences, student organisations affiliated to major political parties and angry local residents have called a shutdown in Kathmandu Valley Wednesday to protest the killing of a local businessman by Maoists in a guerrilla camp supervised by the UN.
Led by the student organisations of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist, protesters Monday led marches in the capital, asking for the killers of businessman Ram Hari Shrestha to be brought to justice.
Kashmir: A call for new realism?
By Murtaza Shibli,
The moderate faction of Kashmir's pro-freedom political amalgam, Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has renewed its call for 'realism' to seek solution to the longstanding Kashmir problem that was once regarded as 'nuclear flashpoint', but has since been relegated to the sidelines as India and Pakistan embarked upon a historic 'peace process' that started after Pakistan's then military ruler and now beleaguered President, General Musharraf agreed to roll back his country's policy of supporting Jehad in Kashmir.
Three members of biker gang accused of murders arrested
By IANS,
New Delhi : Three members of the notorious gang of bikers, allegedly involved in at least five shootings in July, were arrested in the capital, police said Friday.
Three of the five members of the gang - Zakir, Rakesh and Mushtaq - were arrested from Badarpur area in south Delhi where they had gone to meet the wife of one of their friends Thursday, Delhi police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said.
Two of the gang members, including the kingpin Om Prakash alias Bunty, are still absconding, Bhagat said.
Government appeasing separatists: Lt. Gen S.K. Sinha
By Murali Krishnan, IANS,
New Delhi : Former Jammu and Kashmir governor Lt. Gen. (retd.) S.K. Sinha has accused the government of going out of its way to "appease" separatists in the valley when it should have countered their "absurd propaganda" that land transfer to the Amarnath shrine board was going to change the demographic profile of Kashmir.
Popular Front to help Bihar flood victims
By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,
Bhopal: Popular Front of India has decided to extend help to the victims of floods in Bihar.
A Press release issued by general secretary E. M. Abdurahman on Sunday from Bangalore said the volunteers of Popular Front will collect money and clothes from public all over Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu within a week. The National Executive Committee members of Popular Front Moideenkutty Faizy and Yasir Hassan are now on a visit to the effected northern districts of Bihar to assess the situation.
Abandoned briefcases causes scare in Amritsar
By IANS,
Amritsar : Two briefcases of a businessman, which were stolen and later abandoned by a thief, created a scare in this Sikh holy city Saturday as people suspected they were bombs.
The police rushed a dog squad and cordoned off the area on the Albert Road to verify what was inside the briefcases.
Police officials, on opening the briefcases, found they contained bank papers belonging to a businessman.
India lags in social progress and tolerance
By Amit Kapoor
For decades, Gross Domestic Product has been used to evaluate the economic performance of a nation. It measures the value of final...
Son of a jeweller killed, ornaments stolen in Delhi
By IANS,
New Delhi : A 35-year-old son of a jeweller was killed at his shop by unidentified robbers, who fled away with ornaments worth millions Sunday in Tilak Nagar area of west Delhi, police said.
"The incident took place around 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Ashok Kumar was at his shop when two men entered and at knife-point asked him to hand over all the jewellery," a senior police officer said.
"When Ashok resisted, they stabbed him. The robbers then fled with jewellery. Ashok was taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries," the officer added.
US drone attack kills six in Pakistan
By DPA,
Peshawar : Unmanned drone aircraft operated by the US' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) fired missiles into a target in Pakistan's lawless tribal region, killing six militants, security officials said Saturday.
The strike took place in Boya sub-district, some 25 km west of Miranshah, the main city in North Waziristan tribal district.
"The drones fired four missiles just before midnight at the house of a tribesman Khyali Dawar," said an intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"Six people died, and three were injured," the official said.
BJP not fielding Muslim candidates in Godhra for ‘political reasons’
By TCN Special Correspondent,
Bombay HC seeks police’s reply to questions over Karkare’s death
By TCN Staff Reporter,
CPI (M)’s independent MLA Manjalamkuzhi Ali resigns from Kerala Assembly
By TwoCircles.net Staff Correspondent,
Abdul Kaleem – the man who moved Aseemanand to confess
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi,TwoCircles.net
Muslim woman laborer tortured, ‘molested’ in West Bengal
By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,
Teenager raped, whipped to death in Bangladesh
By IANS,
Dhaka : A teenager in Bangladesh died after being raped and then whipped 100 times following a fatwa by local clerics this week, a media report said.
Friday Prayer over, 1000s gathering at Tahrir Square for ‘Day of Departure’ rally
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
Victims of ‘secret killings’ and their families demand justice
By Anjuman Ara Begum, TwoCircles.net,
Omar Abdullah visits Makhdoom Ashraf’s shrine in Kichaucha Shareef
By TCN Special Correspondent,
Jamia to hold common test for UG entrants
By IANS,
New Delhi : Starting this year, Jamia Millia Islamia University will conduct common entrance test for some of its undergraduate courses.
Maoist woman, suspect in cops’ massacre, arrested
By IANS,
Raipur : A Maoist group 'commander' who is one of the key suspects in the killing of 55 policemen in March 2007 in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district has been arrested, the police said in this state capital Thursday.
Rame alias Ranjeeta, 28, was held in Dhamtari, some 80 km from here, late Wednesday night when she visited the town for medical treatment, the police said.
She hails from a village under Dornapal police station in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, part of the Bastar region in the southern half od the state, and the nerve centre of Maoist rebellion in India.
Three-day Shahjahan Urs ends peacefully in Agra
By IANS,
Agra : Despite fears of sectarian differences and confusion, officials heaved a sigh of relief as the three-day 354th Urs, death anniversary, of Mughal emperor Shahjahan ended peacefully here with a record number of 60,000 visitors entering the Taj Mahal for free.
The urs of the Mughal emperor came to an end Tuesday evening.
Plea for voice test in 2002 Gujarat riot case rejected
By IANS,
Ahmedabad : A court hearing the Naroda Gam case of the 2002 Gujarat riots has rejected the Special Investigation Team's (SIT) plea to conduct voice tests on VHP activists Babu Bajrangi and Jaideep Patel. Eleven people were killed in Naroda Gam.
The SIT had wanted to cross-check claims of complicity of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leaders in the riots. The claims were made in a sting operation by a magazine in 2007.
JIH Ameer to address Jamiat Ulema executive meet
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: In an unprecedented move showing Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind (JUH) getting closure to Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH), Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umri, Ameer of JIH, has been invited to address the Executive Council meeting of JUH scheduled in Hyderabad on November 8-9.
VHP to launch campaign to protest Malegaon blast arrests
By IANS,
Mumbai : The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Saturday said it would launch a campaign to counter what it termed as the government’s conspiracy against ‘sadhus, sadhvis and sena’ (mendicants and military) and to express solidarity with those arrested for the Malegaon blast.
VHP joint secretary V. Abdeo said here that besides sit-in and demonstrations across the country, the VHP activists would send SMSes and e-mails abroad too to air solidarity with the people nabbed for their suspected involvement in the Sep 29 Malegaon blast that killed six.
Israeli mafia boss reported killed
By DPA,
Tel Aviv : An explosion ripped through a car in North Tel Aviv Monday morning, killing an alleged underworld kingpin, and lightly wounding two bystanders, Israeli media said.
Police would not confirm the identity of the fatality, who media reports said was Yakov Alperon, the head of one of Israel's most notorious and largest crime families.
Nor were police prepared to say that the blast was the result of a bomb planted in the rented car in which Alperon was.
‘Slumdog Millionaire’ kid Azharuddin to move to a flat
By IANS,
London: The days of slum life are finally over for 10-year-old Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, the star of Oscar winning "Slumdog Millionaire", as a trust has completed all formalities of buying a flat for the child and will soon hand over the keys of the house to him.
The Jai Ho Trust, backed by film director Danny Boyle and producer Christian Colson, has bought a 250 sq ft apartment here for Azharuddin, reported newsoftheworld.co.uk
"We signed the papers on Monday. We have the keys and we will hand them to the family," said a spokesperson from the trust.
Five Manipur separatists arrested in Assam
By IANS,
Guwahati: Five militants from a banned outfit in Manipur were arrested in Assam Thursday when the group was on way to a base camp for arms training, officials said.
A police spokesperson said the rebels from the outlawed People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) were arrested from near Jorabat on the outskirts of Guwahati.
"Based on specific inputs that a group of PREPAK militants were travelling in a vehicle, we set up road checks and intercepted their vehicle and managed to arrest them," a police official said.
Parliament adjourned second time over Gujarat killings
By IANS
New Delhi : Both houses of parliament were adjourned for a second time Monday as Congress, Left parties and Samajwadi Party members disrupted proceedings over the issue of staged police killings in Gujarat.
Mumbai sleuths to help in Hyderabad blast probe
By IANS
Mumbai : A crack unit of the Mumbai police's Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) Saturday left for Hyderabad to trace the terror imprints in the blast at the Mecca Masjid there a day earlier.
Amarinder Singh’s former media advisor arrested
By IANS
Ludhiana : Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh's media advisor Bharat Inder Singh Chahal was Sunday arrested on various criminal charges including attempt to murder.
Court issues summons to Ansal brothers
By IANS
New Delhi : A Delhi court Tuesday ordered the city's leading builders Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal to appear before it to explain their alleged attempts to stop a campaign for justice to the victims of the 1997 Uphaar theatre fire tragedy.
No talks till you reform, Bangladesh politicians told
By IANS
Dhaka : Bangladesh's election Commission has said it will not talk to political parties on electoral reforms till they affect political reforms, adding a new twist to their ongoing tussle with the military-backed government.
Dozens arrested in Lal Masjid seminary raid
By DPA
Islamabad : Pakistani police Saturday arrested dozens of Islamic students in a pre-dawn raid on a seminary affiliated with the besieged Lal Masjid where holed up militants have said they would seek martyrdom rather than surrender, official said.
Report: Palestinian Bulgarian kidnapped in Gaza released
By Xinhua
Sofia : Khaled al-Maghir, a Palestinian holding Bulgarian citizenship who was probably kidnapped by Hamas Islamists in Gaza Strip, has been released Friday evening, Sofia Focus News Agency reported early on Saturday.
The Bulgarian citizen is in good condition, and the Bulgarian Embassies in Israel and Jordan have been informed of the release of al-Maghir, the report said.
Suicide bomb kills 23 Iraqi army recruits
By Xinhua
Baghdad : A suicide truck bomb struck an Iraqi recruitment centre in a town west of Baghdad Sunday, killing at least 23 recruits and wounding some 30, police source said.
Royal committee of Jerusalem Affairs wants Israel authorities of implementing new projects in the...
By NNN-Petra
Amman : The Royal Committee of Jerusalem Affairs has warned the Israeli authorities of implementing new projects in Jerusalem in the frame of its continued aggression against the city.
The committee stressed that these measures would not only hinder the peace process between the Palestinians and Israelis, but with the Arabs and all the Muslims.
The Commission, in a press release published today by its Secretary General Abdullah Kan'an, called on the Israeli government to take immediate action to stop these projects if it wants peace.
Abbas, Jordan’s PM discuss U.S.-proposed peace conference
By Xinhua
Amman : Visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordanian Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit on Thursday discussed the ongoing preparations for holding the U.S.-proposed international peace conference.
Bakhit told reporters after the meeting that it was important to push the political process forward in one hand, and to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians through the removal of barriers and release the largest possible number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees on the other.
Haneef’s family struggles for words to express joy
By IANS
Bangalore : It was happiness beyond words, a sense of absolute relief that could not be verbalised. Indian doctor Muhammad Haneef's family just savoured the moment as news came in that an Australian court had restored his visa.
"We have no words to express our joy. We are very, very happy," said Afshaq Ahmed, father-in-law of Haneef, whose work visa was cancelled hours after he got bail from a Brisbane court last month after being charged with supporting a failed terror plot in Britain.
Korean hostage volunteers to stay with Taliban captors
By DPA
Seoul : A South Korean hostage remained voluntarily in Afghanistan at the hands of her Taliban captors so that other hostages could be freed instead, two former hostages have told Al-Jazeera in an interview.
The pair Kim Ji An and Kyun Ja said late Thursday their fellow hostage Lee Ji-yong had let one of them be freed in her stead because she had more experience of Afghanistan and spoke the language, the two women said.
"We were very worried when we heard that Ji-yong volunteered to be left behind," they said.
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.
It is time to establish Palestinian statehood: Abbas
By Xinhua
Ramallah : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that it was time to create an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel to end 60 years of suffering.
Abbas made the remarks during a joint news conference with visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the West Bank city of Ramallah after their meeting.
He reiterated that Jerusalem should be the capital of the future state.
ElBaradei says ‘no immediate threat’ from Iran
Rome, Sep 21 (Xinhua) Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has said that Iran does not currently pose an immediate threat to the international community.
"Iran does not constitute a certain and immediate threat to the international community," the UN nuclear chief said Thursday in an interview with Italian RAI television while in Italy for an IAEA conference.
ElBaradei made the remarks amid rising international tension regarding the nuclear deadlock with Teheran.
Benazir, Fazlur Rehman have joined hands: report
By IANS
Islamabad : Former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto and key opposition leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman "have joined hands to stab the opposition in the back, after being prodded by Uncle Sam", a media report Sunday said.
"There are some among the opposition who believe that Maulana Fazl's somersaults are also the result of a conspiratorial wink from Washington. Fazl was always considered the government's man disguised as an opposition leader," The News said.
FM criticizes new US initiative for ME peace
By IRNA
United Nations : Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki of Iran said Wednesday that the new US initiative for Middle East peace is only a propaganda fuss not an effective move.
He made the remarks in a meeting with the Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, held on the sidelines of the newly-ended 62nd UN General Assembly.
The meeting was held before Mottaki left New York for Tehran at the end of his two-week visit to the city.
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