Pakistan elections likely in February, Attorney General
By DPA
Islamabad : Pakistan would lift the state of emergency imposed by President Pervez Musharraf next month and hold general elections in February, government officials and members of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) said Thursday.
Elections are likely to be held in February but the state of emergency would possibly be lifted in December, Attorney General Malik Mohammad Qayyum told the DawnNews channel.
NDA will win in Bihar on Modi’s popularity: Jaitley
Patna: The BJP-led NDA will form the next government with two-thirds majority in Bihar due to the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said...
यूपी में योगीकाल में एनकाउंटर की जातिवार लिस्ट जारी ,अब तक 124 इनमे 47...
आसमोहम्मद कैफ़ । Twocircles.net
उत्तर प्रदेश में साढ़े तीन साल पहले बनने वाली योगी सरकार एनकाउंटर को लेकर लगातार चर्चा में रही है। फर्जी एनकाउंटर...
Turkish warplanes destroy PKK headquarters in Iraq
By Xinhua
Diyarbakir, Turkey : Many Turkish warplanes which took off from Diyarbakir airbase in southeastern Turkey on Sunday hit the headquarters of the banned Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) on Qandil mountains in northern Iraq, eye witnesses told Xinhua.
Eye witnesses claimed that following the bombing by the 24 Turkish warplanes, the PKK headquarter office completely collapsed and two other nearby buildings were hit by missiles.
He loves Sania Mirza, and is in jail now!
By IANS,
Hyderabad : Two days before tennis star Sania Mirza's engagement, a youth who claim to be in love with her was arrested Wednesday for allegedly creating nuisance at her residence here.
Police said Mohammed Ashraf, 28, late Tuesday created a scene at the player's residence claiming that he is in love with Sania. The civil engineering student from Kerala demanded that her engagement be cancelled.
Ashraf along with his friend D. Mohanty went to Sania's house and had a heated argument with her father Imran Mirza. They demanded Imran cancel Sania's engagement.
India Inc. reacts cautiously to BJP manifesto
New Delhi : India Inc. Monday reacted cautiously to the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections, which says the party...
Book review: Communalism, Caste and Hindu Nationalism
Book Review
Name of the Book: Communalism, Caste and Hindu Nationalism—The Violence in Gujarat
Author: Ornit Shani
Publisher: Cambridge University Press, New Delhi Year: 2007 ISBN: 978-0-521-72753-2
Reviewed by: Yoginder Sikand
Badaun sisters committed suicide, were not raped, murdered: CBI
New Delhi : The CBI Thursday said that its probe had found that the two minor girls who were found hanging from tree in...
Apex court orders cancellation of Monica’s passport
By IANS
New Delhi : Monica Bedi, girlfriend of mobster Abu Salem, can now walk free with the Supreme Court ordering cancellation of her original passport Monday. Monica said the passport had been seized by authorities in Lisbon after her arrest there and could not be surrendered in Hyderabad for her release.
A bench headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan ordered the Mumbai regional passport office to cancel her passport, bearing number B-0195737 and issued on June 24, 1999.
US to continue to work with Pakistan ‘as friend and ally’
By Arun Kumar, IANS
Washington : US officials have offered no comment on the reported release by Pakistan of a man accused of aiding Al Qaeda, beyond saying that they would continue to work with Islamabad "as a friend and ally".
"Well, we coordinate closely with the Pakistani government on a host of counter-terrorism and security issues. I don't have any more information specific to this case," State Department spokesperson Gonzalo Gallegos said Tuesday.
Urdu is second language in Delhi
By IANS
New Delhi : Urdu has been accorded the status of second language in the capital after Hindi, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said here Thursday.
Speaking at a convention of Urdu teachers from seven north Indian states, Dikshit said: "Our government has given status of second language to Urdu in the capital city."
2003 Mumbai blasts: Ruling on three death penalties put off
By IANS,
Mumbai : The Bombay High Court Monday deferred its verdict on the confirmation of death sentences for three convicts in the 2003 Mumbai...
Zardari denounces beheading of Sikh in Pakistan
By IANS,
Islamabad: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari Monday denounced the beheading of a Sikh man in Tirah Valley of Khyber agency after his relatives failed to pay a ransom to the abductors, a media report said.
Jaspal Singh and two other Sikhs were kidnapped from Chora Tanga area of Tirah Valley two weeks ago. The abductors had demanded Rs.20 million ($235,120) by Feb 20 for Jaspal's release. The other two Sikhs are still in captivity, the Online news agency reported.
No case of ‘love jihad’ in Himachal: Government
Shimla : The Congress government in Himachal Pradesh Tuesday said no case of 'love jihad', religious conversion and illegal intrusion of Bangladeshi labourers has...
Nearly 2 million affected by floods in Bihar
Patna, (IANS): The flood situation in Bihar worsened on Monday, with many rivers breaching their banks and embankments and affecting nearly two million people, officials...
Re-Imagining Islamic Ethics in the Context of Fiqh
The Quran is firstly a book of morality and ethics and only later a book of law. The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) mentioned that he had been sent to the world in order to fulfill morality or ethics. This is why we would need to re-read the Quranic revelation within the framework of the universal Islamic morality, which is based on human nature.
Corona Jihad, the newest on the block in Godi Media
Mahmood Hussain
Let me begin with a disclaimer – I am not a member of the Tableeghi Jamaat and I am not their advocate.
All I...
Our Hindutva is ‘inclusive not narrow’, says BJP
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sunday reaffirmed its commitment to Hindutva - but an inclusive one, "not narrowly confined only to religious practices or expressed in extreme forms".
In a resolution the party unanimously adopted on the second and concluding day of its national executive meeting here, the BJP said the Hindutva which it believed in was related to the "culture and ethos" of the people of the country.
Women’s voices from Atali
Dr. Sandhya Mhatre and Neha Dabhade
A fact finding team consisting of Adv. Irfan Engineer and these writers, visited the riot torn village of...
India’s ‘renaissance man’ Kalam honoured in UK
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS,
London: Ten years after describing a shabby-looking fuse box as something that appeared to have been "put in by an Indian", Prince Philip applauded as an Indian engineer, who happened to be a former president, was presented with one of Britain's top engineering awards.
Former Indian president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who is on a lecture tour of Britain and Ireland, was presented the 2008 International Medal of the Royal Academy of Engineering at a gala dinner in London Tuesday night.
AIM builds school extension in Karnataka
By TCN News,
Bangalore: The Association of Indian Muslims of America (AIM), Washington DC, has completed the construction of an additional wing of 6 classrooms...
I am being framed: PDP chief Maudany
By IANS,
Kollam (Kerala): People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Abdul Nazir Maudany, who was Tuesday denied anticipatory bail by the Karnataka High Court in the 2008 Bangalore bomb blast case, said he was being "purposely trapped".
Maudany was named as the 31st accused in the case and has been trying for anticipatory bail, first in a lower court in Bangalore, which was turned down last month, and then in the high court which too refused his plea Tuesday.
Three BSF men injured in Pakistani firing
By IANS,
Jammu: Three troopers of the Border Security Force (BSF) were injured Saturday when Pakistani troops fired at a forward Indian border post in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, an official said.
Pakistani troops opened heavy machine gun fire on Kranti post in the Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch district, about 230 km north of Jammu.
The official said the firing came from across the Line of Control and violated the ceasefire agreement.
Three BSF men were injured in the fire. The exchange of fire lasted for 15 minutes, the official added.
Amartya Sen votes for secular prime minister
Kolkata : Iterating that he did not consider Narendra Modi as a good prime ministerial candidate, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen Wednesday said he preferred...
Timely action on intelligence inputs must: Patil
By IANS
Hyderabad : The state governments should take timely action on intelligence inputs and spruce up the state machinery, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said Sunday, even as he refused to term as intelligence failure the overnight blasts here which killed 42 people.
Patil was talking to reporters after visiting Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat, where two near-simultaneous bomb blasts Saturday night killed 42 people and injured 70.
TB patient hangs himself at Kolkata hospital
By IANS,
Kolkata : Depressed over learning that he has tuberculosis, a patient committed suicide by hanging himself in a bathroom of a government hospital in central Kolkata, police said Monday.
"Arshad Ali Mollah, 44, was found hanging from the ceiling of a bathroom at a ward of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital Sunday night. Preliminary investigations show depression as the cause of death," city police deputy commissioner (headquarters) Vinet K. Goyal told reporters.
He said no suicide note has been found.
Special coach for Hajis in train: Ministry of Railways
By TwoCircles.net Staff Correspondent,
Kochi: Some special coaches will be allotted for Hajis to facilitate their easy travel, said E Ahmed, Union Minister of State for Railways. The government will consider allotting special trains to facilitate the easy journey of Hajis to the five important embarkation points. Special quotas too will be made available for Hajis in trains, in cooperation with the Haj Committee, he added.
Mr Ahmed was inaugurating the two-day Pookkottur Haj Camp in Malappuram district on Saturday.
Tel Aviv to Military Occupy Palestine
Tel Aviv, (Prensa Latina) Israel pretends to occupy Palestine, with the consent of the US, by the deployment of a military contingent in the Eastern border after that future State is established, Haaretz daily published Thursday.
The project anticipates the stationing of Tsahal troops in the limits of the West Bank, in front of Jordan and Syria, which will make possible that aviation can freely operate in the airspace of the future Arab nation, same source says.
भीड़तंत्र एक बार फिर हावी ! अलीगढ़ में मॉब लिचिंग जैसी घटना, भीड़ ने...
अलीगढ़-
आस मुहम्मद कैफ, Twocircles.net
"हम अब भी ख़ौफ़ज़दा हैं, हमारे जो चोट लगी थी वो तो ठीक हो जायेगी मगर दिल मे जो तक़लीफ़ हुई...
मो. आमिर के लिए दिल्ली सरकार को नोटिस
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
दिल्ली: राष्ट्रीय मानवाधिकार आयोग ने दिल्ली सरकार को कारण बताओ नोटिस जारी करके पूछा है कि आतंकवाद के आरोपों से बरी...
Indian woman ‘recruiter’ for ISIS extradited from Dubai, arrested
Hyderabad : A Dubai-based Indian woman allegedly recruiting youth for terror outfit ISIS in Syria and Iraq was extradited here on Friday and arrested...
KAUST to fulfilling King’s dream of creating knowledge economy in Saudi Arabia
By NNN-SPA
Jeddah : Nadhmi A. Al-Nasr, the interim president of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), envisions the new research-based institution as a catalyst for creating a knowledge economy in Saudi Arabia — which is a long-standing dream of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah himself.
Al-Nasr said in an exclusive interview with Arab News yesterday that SR10 billion university will be a graduate-level research institution instead of an undergraduate one.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court to decide on Musharraf’s military status
By DPA
Islamabad : Pakistan's Supreme Court Wednesday said it would hear a petition that challenges the right of President Pervez Musharraf to serve as army chief as he seeks five more years in power.
"The petition is fixed for a regular hearing," Justice Javed Iqbal said of the request that was filed by Qazi Hussein Ahmed, the head of Muttahida Majlis-e-Ammal, an alliance of religious political parties.
Athawale supports right to eat beef, warns cow vigilantes
Mumbai, (IANS): Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale on Friday said "everybody has a right to eat beef" and promised action against...
41 Taliban militants killed in Afghanistan
By IANS,
Kunduz (Afghanistan) : Forty-one Taliban militants were killed in fighting with security forces in Afghanistan's northern province of Kunduz, police said Thursday.
The fighting took place Wednesday night in Gul Bagh village of Chardara district and Gur Tipa village outside Kunduz city, the provincial capital.
The operation was backed by US Special Forces, Xinhua said, citing police spokesman Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai.
Several foreign militants were among the dead, he said, adding a rebel commander was arrested. Four suicide bomb vests were seized.
Jangpura enacted in Pune: Maha Govt to rebuild demolished mosque
By TCN Staff Reporter,
Three militants killed in Kashmir gunfight
By IANS,
Srinagar : Three separatist guerrillas were killed in a south Kashmir gunfight with security forces, police said Thursday.
Mulayam, allies visit blast sites in UP
By IANS
Lucknow : Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav Sunday visited the sites of Friday's serial blasts that ripped three prominent Uttar Pradesh towns, leaving 13 dead and 80 wounded.
With his man Friday Amar Singh in tow, Yadav was accompanied by his close political allies - Telugu Desam chief Chandra Babu Naidu and Om Prakash Chautala.
The leaders flew down to Lucknow from Vijayawada and then went to Varanasi and Faizabad.
Police add sedition charge to Masrat Alam’s arrest
Srinagar : Under pressure from New Delhi, the state government overnight added charges of sedition and waging war against the country to Masrat Alam's...
‘Goons’ in Jamia thrash protesting students, one admitted to hospital, five more injured
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
Protests in Jamia Millia Islamia turned ugly on October 22 when students were attacked by goons allegedly hired by the college...
Army to intensify operations in Assam
New Delhi : Army chief Gen. Dalbir Singh Friday said operations will be intensified in violence-hit Assam where Bodo militants massacred dozens of tribals...
BJP for law to build Ram temple in Ayodhya
By IANS
Shimla : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will amend the law to facilitate the building of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya if it wins the next general elections, party president Rajnath Singh said Tuesday.
"The day we get an absolute majority, we will bring in a law so that a Ram temple is built at the disputed site in Ayodhya," Rajnath Singh told reporters here.
"But we will (take recourse to law) only if courts fail to find a solution and talks fail with Muslim leaders," he added.
Mamata wants inclusion of two non-minority districts under MSDP
By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,
Modi will be defeated in Varanasi: Lalu
Patna : RJD chief Lalu Prasad Sunday predicted that BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will be defeated in Varanasi in the Lok Sabha...
Relax emergency, says Bangladesh poll chief
By IANS
Dhaka : Bangladesh's Chief Election Commissioner A.T.M. Huda has asked the government to relax the state of emergency this year-end in areas where local government elections are planned for next January.
"Our target is to hold a series of elections to local government bodies from January. So, not only the ban on indoor politics, but also the state of emergency will have to be relaxed in the areas where local government elections will be held," Huda told media representatives Sunday.
Art and life of Bismillah Khan in school texts
By Prashant K. Nanda, IANS
New Delhi : Fate may not have allowed shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan to fulfil his last wish to hold a concert at the historic India Gate but his name will be enshrined in the minds of children as his life and art become part of the school curriculum for Class 9 students.
In its recently published Class 9 English book, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has devoted an entire chapter on the legendary musician who died at the age of 90 last year.
Fake currency scam: another bank official arrested
By IANS,
Lucknow : The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Uttar Pradesh police arrested yet another bank employee posted at the State Bank of India (SBI) branch of Domariyaganj in Uttar Pradesh, where a large scale fake currency racket was unearthed last month, officials said Friday.
Rajaram, who served as the accountant of the bank for 15 days, was arrested after he was found to be working closely with the kingpin of the racket, Sudhakar Tripathi.
Godhra court jails eight for life in post-Godhra riots
By IANS
Ahmedabad : In a verdict that could have an impact on the December polls in Gujarat's Panchmahal district, a Godhra sessions court Tuesday sentenced eight people to life on the charge of killing seven people in the post-Godhra violence in 2002.
Additional Sessions Judge H.M. Dholakia also sentenced three others to three years' imprisonment for having "gang raped" two minor girls.
Karnataka to probe ‘love jihad’
By IANS,
Bangalore : Karnataka Police will probe whether a movement reportedly called the 'love jihad' exists in the state after charges that Muslim youths were luring non-Muslim women with promise of marriage and forcibly converting them to Islam, state Home Minister V.S. Acharya said Monday.
The Criminal Investigation Department will find out the source of funds and the people behind such a movement, if it exists, and submit report in 15 days, Acharya told reporters after meeting senior police officials here.
‘Nothing will be same ever again,’ say residents of Delhi’s Shiv Vihar three years...
In northeast Delhi's Shiv Vihar area, most of the Muslim residents are yet to recover from the traumatic episodes of violence and the...
Dawood’s brother acquitted in illegal shopping mall case
By IANS
Mumbai : A special court in Mumbai Wednesday acquitted fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Kaskar and five others, accused of building an unauthorised shopping mall on public land in 2003, for lack of evidence.
An Appeal by Pakistani Hindu Refugees in India
By Indiaresists.com,
New Delhi: Around hundred Pakistani refugees are sitting on an indefinite Dharna at Jantar Mantar with a plea to Indian government to establish a permanent mechanism bring lasting solutions in the deteriorated conditions of Pak Hindu Migrants in India. Following is a note circulated by them, signed by Hindu Singh Sodha, President, Seemant Lok Sangathan/Universal Just Action Society.
Two arrested for killing BSP member
By IANS,
Lucknow: Two people were arrested Thursday in connection with the murder of an office bearer of the ruing Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)'s Brahmin-Dalit goodwill committee in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi district, police said.
H.P. Pandey and Rishi Dubey were arrested in Varanasi for killing Krishna Mohan Pandey Wednesday in Varanasi, some 300 km from Lucknow.
खत्म की गई आज़म खान की विधायकी
स्टाफ रिपोर्टर। Twocircles.net
सपा नेता आज़म ख़ान की विधानसभा सदस्यता खत्म कर दी गई है। हेट स्पीच मामले में कल ही रामपुर की एमपी एमएलए...
India at 75: Like every year Muslims celebrate Independence Day with fervor
Social media platforms were inundated with thousands of pictures of people posing with the national flag to mark India's 75th Independence Day.
Ubair ul Hameed...
Gaddafi Challenges West on Human Rights
Paris, Dec 12 (Prensa Latina) Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's controversial visit to France changed its tone on Wednesday, when the visitor challenged the West on human rights matters.
During his meetings with intellectuals and at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the Libyan president asked the developed countries if they really considered themselves unimpeachable regarding their respect for human rights.
Some leaders of the conservative government of President Nicolas Sarkozy and the opposition questioned Gaddafi's presence here and criticized his career.
74 injured, four critical, as train derails in UP
Lucknow/New Delhi, (IANS): At least 74 persons, four in critical condition, were injured when 10 coaches of the Kaifiyat Express derailed in Auraiya district of...
National consultation and planning meeting for minorities
By TCN News,
New Delhi: Khudai khidmatgar organized a national consultation and planning meeting to discuss the socio-political and economic issues of Muslims in the capital.
Text of president’s farewell address to nation
By IANS
New Delhi : Following is the text of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's thanksgiving address to the nation Tuesday, his last day in office:
Five eventful years
"When you wish upon a star,
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you"
Muslims comprise of 48 % of jail inmates in WB
Muslims jail inmates disproportionately high in Maharashtra and Gujarat too.
By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,
कश्मीर पर भारतीय समाज की चुप्पी आपराधिक है –गौतम नवलखा
TCN News
लखनऊ : ‘इस समय कश्मीर की अवाम के साथ खड़ा होना भारतीय लोकतंत्र को बचाने के लिए बहुत अहम है. भारतीय राज्य द्वारा...
UP Minorities Commission seeks report on harassment of Muslims by a police inspector
By TCN News
Lucknow: Taking strong note of complaints by muslims against a police inspector, received during tour of Shahajahanpur district on June 13, the chairman of State Minorities Commission (SMC) SMA Kazmi has seeked report from district administration of Shahjahanpur. The commission has also directed that any senior official should present himself before the commission on June 29 with complete report regarding the complain.
Indian population growth less dependent on religion, more on development
By Shreya Shah
Fertility rates in India are more closely related to education levels and the socio-economic development within a state, than to religious beliefs,...
Court raps government on Sachar Committee report
New Delhi, May 12 (IANS) Terming it an "unconstitutional move", the Delhi High Court Monday asked the central government why only the Muslim community has been chosen for implementation of the Sachar Committee report while other minority communities were left out.
A division bench of Justice T.S.Thakur and Justice Siddharth Mridul, while issuing notice to the central government, observed: “Poverty is a common enemy. It does not come to one community in particular.”
Pakistani voices disappointment over draft bill adopted by U.S. Congress
By NNN-APP
Islamabad : Pakistan Saturday expressed disappointment over the draft bill adopted by the US Congress based on recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.
“Though the Bill emphasizes the importance attached by the United States to long-term strategic relationship with Pakistan, the references and provisions of the Bill cast shadow on the existing cooperation between the two countries,� Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said in a statement issued here.
Hindutva groups opposing AMU centre in Kishanganj
By RINA
New Delhi: Shouting anti-Muslim slogans, some activists of RSS and its like-minded organizations VHP and Bajrang Dal allegedly burnt an effigy of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar yesterday in Kishanganj and demanded him to take back his decision to allow opening of a branch of Aligarh Muslim University in the district.
Algerian chief of staff arrives in Libya
By IRNA-QNA
Tripoli : Algerian Chief of Staff Gen. Ahmed Qayed Saleh arrived here Saturday on a visit to Libya during which he will attend a joint military exercise due to be held on an selected area on the Libyan border as part of military cooperation between the two countries armies.
In a statement the Algerian chief of staff expressed the hope that the visit would benefit the two sides. He described the military exercise which will be staged tomorrow as a good step.
Girl who killed militant fears for her family
By IANS,
Jammu : Three days after she shot dead a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist after snatching his gun, Rukhsana, an 18-year-old Muslim girl now fears for her family's safety.
Rukhsana's family has been shifted to Rajouri for safety.
Amid reports that LeT terrorists were about to seek revenge for the killing of their commander Abu Osama, who was shot by Rukhsana Sunday night, the Gujjar girl said she is "worried about the safety" of her family.
The militants, she told reporters in Rajouri, would seek revenge for the killing of their commander.
Sexual harassment charge: Teammates to be quizzed
By IANS,
New Delhi: The Hockey India committee looking into allegations of sexual harrasment against former women's hockey team coach M.K Kaushik will also talk to some of the players who have supported their teammate who levelled the charges.
Kaushik, who resigned as the national women's hockey coach after charges of sexual harassment were levelled against him by Ranjitha Devi, filed his reply to the committee Thursday.
Ranjitha, who has the support of 30 of her fellow-players, has also made a written sumbmission to the commitee.
Union Minister Garlanding Lynching Convicts condemned
By TwoCircles.net
Last year in June, Alimuddin Ansari was mercilessly trashed by a frenzied mob and lynched in Ramgarh, Jharkhand.
Alimuddin was a small time coal...
Two beaten to death in Bihar
By IANS,
Patna : In two incidents of 'mob justice', a man was lynched for allegedly attempting to rape a girl while another man was beaten to death for opposing extramarital relations of his wife in Bihar.
Mithilesh Singh was lynched for allegedly attempting to rape a girl at Kelbanni-Dahiyar village under Rosra police station in Samastipur district, about 100 km from here, police said Thursday.
Monitoring of minority welfare schemes on Chief Secretary level
 By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Patna: Bihar Government has formed a high level committee under leadership of the Chief Secretary for the implementation of programmes started by the government for the welfare of the minorities.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recently started 10 programmes for the welfare of minorities.
93.29 percent Gulf students pass CBSE Class 12 exams
By IANS
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.
Of green colour and salt politics in Kashmir
By Sarwar Kashani, IANS
Waving a green handkerchief, showing a piece of rock salt - both symbolic references to Pakistan - and questioning Jammu and Kashmir's accession to India, sometimes even openly. These have become potent tools for leaders, who otherwise claim to be secular, to exploit the religious leanings of gullible Kashmiris.
The politicians misuse these means in a Muslim-dominated society in exactly the same way that Hindu fanatics exploit the Ram temple issue to sway voters in the rest of India.
India cementing ties with Israel, ignoring humanitarian crisis in Gaza Strip
By TwoCircles.net news desk
Chennai: In a shameful deviation from Independent India’s foreign policy, the Congress-led UPA Government at the centre has scripted another history of India-Israel relationship. The government allowed Israel’s spy satellite Tescar to be launched from Sriharikotta Satellite Launch Station at the time when human rights of Palestinians in Gaza Strip are brazenly violated by the country.
Israeli army invades northern Gaza, kills two
By Xinhua
Gaza : Israeli forces killed two Palestinians early Wednesday during a ground operation in the town of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, paramedics said.
The raiding forces, with more than 30 battle tanks and several bulldozers, also wounded three people in the al-Shaimaa neighbourhood in the agricultural border town, said ambulance spokesman Mua'wia Hassanin.
Corrupt, communal forces united against CPI-M in Kerala: Balakrishnan
Kolkata : Dubbing the Congress-led UDF government as the "most corrupt" in the history of Kerala, CPI-M leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Sunday said forces...
Clerics move to get lawyers for innocents labelled terrorists
By IANS
Lucknow : At least 200 lawyers from different parts of Uttar Pradesh will be convening here March 16 in response to the All India Muslim Personal Law Board's (AIMPLB) initiative to get legal representation for innocents framed as "terrorists".
How to not lose your mind when you lose your passport
<b.New Delhi : Ever wondered how losing your passport while abroad can turn the dream vacation into a nightmare?
Here are some tips from travel...
MP wakf board CEO gets threats from land mafia, asks for security
By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net,
Patna : The CEO of the Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board SMH Zaidi recently asked the state police to provide him with a personal security guard as he is holding a post which deals with land encroachers and land mafia.
Talking to TwoCircles.net Mr. Zaidi explained that being the CEO of the Waqf Board makes his job quasi judicial in nature. For instance he has to pass orders in cases related to the waqf land most of them are related to its encroachment.
Govt target 5 lakh handloom weavers for loans in the next three years
By TCN News
New Delhi: The Ministry of Textiles has set a target of extending loans to five lakh handloom weavers in the next three...
Suicide bombing kills four Iraqis, wounds 18
By NNN-KUNA
Baghdad : Four Iraqis were killed and 18 others were wounded in a suicide bombing in Baqouba, which targeted a checkpoint manned by operatives of the Al-Sahwa (awakening) group.
Director of operations at the Ministry of the Interior Major General Abdel-Karim Khalaf said Wednesday that the explosion appeared to have targeted members of the Al-Sahwa.
Blast in Bengal, three held
Kolkata : A bomb explosion took place in West Bengal's Birbhum district Wednesday, seriously injuring three people. Three people, including a woman, were held...
Kolkata cops rob man of Rs.20,000
By IANS
Kolkata : Under fire from civil society for its alleged role in the death of Rizwanur Rahman, the image of Kolkata Police took a further beating when two police officials were accused of snatching Rs.20,000 from a man who had come to the city for his father's medical treatment.
The incident took place in the Girish Park police station area Tuesday night when two Kolkata police officials - Sergeant Mahan Mukherjee and driver S. Parbat - allegedly stopped a taxi at an intersection and started harassing the driver.
Russian journalist killed in Iraq
By Xinhua
Moscow : A Russian journalist was killed in Iraq when a US convoy hit a ground bomb, the Itar-Tass news agency reported Monday.
Woman gangraped in Ghaziabad, boyfriend thrashed
By IANS,
Ghaziabad: A woman was gangraped by five youths, who also thrashed her boyfriend in Kamla Nehru Nagar here, police said Sunday.
Voting over in the Assembly by-elections in Kerala
By TwoCircles.net Staff Correspondent,
Kochi: People voted in the by-elections to three Assembly constituencies in Kerala today. The by-elections were held in Kannur, Ernakulam and Alappuzha where the sitting MLAs contested to the Parliament seats and won. Even though they will not have any impact either on the state or central governments, these elections are crucial for both the LDF and the UDF. The UDF has to win as the sitting MLAs were all from the Congress. As the elections will be a judgement of the state government, winning is important for the LDF also.
Punish Babri masjid culprits, demand Muslim leaders
By IANS,
New Delhi : As a political storm engulfed parliament over "leakage" of the Liberhan Commission report on the Babri mosque demolition, some Muslim clerics and leaders Monday demanded that the long pending truth behind the "unfortunate" incident should be made public officially and the culprits punished.
Seeking action against those involved in the demolition of the 16th century Babri Masjid, Maulana Niyaz Ahmed Farooqi of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, one of the leading organisations of Muslim clerics, said there was no reason why the government should not table the probe report.
A blunder by Saudi Consulate may jeopardize Haj pilgrimage
By Special Correspondent, TwoCircles.net,
Ahmadabad: A blunder by Saudi Consulate staffers in Mumbai may force hundreds of pilgrims from Gujarat to cancel their Haj tours this year.
Two blasts rock Hyderabad, toll at least 11
By IANS,
Hyderabad : Serial bomb blasts rocked Hyderabad Thursday evening, killing at least 11 people and injuring around 50 others. However eyewitnesses placed the toll at 18.
Dev Anand remembers Mohammed Rafi
By IANS,
New Delhi : Veteran actor Dev Anand remembered Mohammed Rafi on his 31st death anniversary Sunday, saying the legendary singer was one of the greatest souls.
Iran seeks US explanation on nuclear espionage
By IANS
Tehran : Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has accused the US of spying on the country's nuclear programme and said Tehran has formally sent a letter to Washington seeking its explanation on the matter.
"The foreign ministry has sent a letter to the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, as caretaker of the US interests, calling for explanations on the US espionage on Iran's nuclear issue," Mottaki was quoted as saying by official news agency IRNA.
Every booth in Bengal assembly polls to have central police
Kolkata : The Election Commission on Thursday said central police forces would guard all polling booths during next year's West Bengal assembly elections and...
Had no intention to hurt Muslim sentiment, happy to stand corrected on Jihad: Chidambaram
By Shafee Ahmed Ko and Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TCN,
Chennai: Following fierce criticism by Muslim leaders and organizations for equating Jihad with terrorism, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on January 8 said that he didn’t have the knowledge of the real meaning of Jihad and he used the term as it is used in common parlance. While clarifying that he had no intention to hurt the sentiments of anybody in the Muslim community, he said “I am happy to stand corrected” regarding the true meaning of the term.
Army intensifies patrolling along Jammu-Srinagar highway
Jammu : Following Friday's attack on a Kashmir Valley-bound truck in Udhampur, the Indian Army on Sunday intensified patrolling along the Jammu-Srinagar highway to...
Delhi assembly passes amendment to scrap ‘No Detention Policy’
New Delhi : The Delhi assembly on Tuesday passed the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Delhi Amendment) Bill for scrapping the...
32 Muslims detained in Batla House incident released
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi : All 32 Muslim youth, who had been arrested following a scuffle between Muslims and policemen after a policeman's alleged desecration of the Holy Qur'an at Batla House Chowk in the Jamia Nagar area of the city on September 22, were released here Monday.
Jamia Nagar Coordination Committee, which had been spearheading the movement for the release of these detained Muslims and final resolution of the case against them, has expressed pleasure over the grant of bail to all of them.
Protesters clash with security forces in Kashmir town
By IANS,
Srinagar: Tension gripped north Kashmir's Baramulla town Tuesday evening as stone-pelting youth clashed with the security forces following the death of a youth, police said.
Iraqi Sunni speaker ousted
By Xinhua
Baghdad : Iraq's legislators have voted to remove the outspoken Sunni speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani.
Scotland’s first Muslim MP
By TwoCircles.net newsdeskÂ
Glasgow councilor Bashir Ahmad Friday become the first Muslim candidate to be elected to the devolved Scottish parliament.
Ahmad, who was born in India before the partition but lived in Scotland for the past 35 years, was the first of four Scottish Nationalists (SNP) to be elected on the parliament's regional list for Glasgow.
The cases of Varun Gandhi and Binayak Sen: one land, two laws
By Nupur Basu, IANS,
This is a country where the law clearly protects the rich and famous and comes down heavily, very often unfairly, on the poor and powerless.
For all those listening / watching aghast at how low our politicians can sink - e.g. Varun Gandhi's vituperative attack against the Muslim community in an election address in Pilibhit from where he will contest on the BJP ticket - they always knew deep down that nothing would come of it. The interim anticipatory bail granted to him on Friday is on those very predictable lines.
Lebanese PM discusses with Arab FMs upcoming ministerial meeting in Cairo
By Xinhua
Beirut : Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora discussed on Friday with three Arab foreign ministers prospects of an upcoming emergent ministerial meeting of Arab foreign ministers to be held in Cairo on Sunday.
Seniora received telephone calls from the foreign ministers of United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the prime minister's information office said in a statement.
The discussion tackled the agenda of the ministerial conference and the prospects for this meeting, said the statement.
Northeast, Kashmir to get over 100 FM stations
New Delhi: The northeast region along with Jammu and Kashmir will soon be getting over 100 government and private FM channels, parliament was informed...
Rebuild Babri Masjid, punish the guilty: IMC-USA
By TwoCircles.net news desk
Washington D.C.: Indian Muslim Council-USA (IMC-USA) demands the Indian government to bring the criminals to justice involved in the demolition of the 16th century Babri Mosque in the city of Ayodhya in the State of Uttar Pradesh, India as identified in the Report of the Liberhan Commission of Inquiry that was released recently.
Indian Muslim Council-USA further demands that the Indian government honor the promise given by the former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao to re-build the mosque on its original site.
Two arrested in Abu Dhabi with cocaine
By IANS/WAM,
Abu Dhabi : Two people were arrested here on charges of processing and selling cocaine.
They were arrested while trying to sell the cocaine to an undercover agent of the Criminal Investigation Department.
During interrogation, the duo said that they had brought the cocaine from Tanzania. The first suspect pleaded guilty to selling and using cocaine while the other pleaded guilty to processing and selling it. They had more than one kg of the drug.
The public prosecutor referred them to the Criminal Court of Abu Dhabi seeking the harshest sentence for them.
Peace Party starts maneuvering for UP Assembly poll 2012
By TCN Special Correspondent,
PDP demands revocation of AFSPA
By Sheikh Imran Bashir, AIP
Srinagar: Jammu & Kashmir's main opposition People's Democratic Party, held a protest rally in Srinagar against alleged human rights violations and demanding revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
The party President Mehbooba Mufti led the march.
It started from the headquarters of People's Democratic Party (PDP) and concluded at the Lal Chowk.
Three injured in Guwahati blast
Guwahati : Three people, including a minor, were injured in a low-intensity explosion at the busy Fancy Bazar area here on Saturday afternoon, police...
Muslim body organized state level awareness programme in Manipur
By Dr. Syed Ahmed for TwoCircles.net,
Six get two-year jail in Bhagalpur riots case
By IANS,
Patna : A court in Bihar sentenced six persons accused in a case of murder during the 1989 communal riots in Bhagalpur to two years' rigorous imprisonment after convicting them of involvement in the crime, court sources said Tuesday.
Bhagalpur Additional District and Sessions judge Anil Kumar Pandey acquitted the six of charges of murdering a Muslim man during the riots but found them guilty of involvement in the crime.
Over 1,000 people, a majority of them Muslims, were killed in the month-long riots in Bhagalpur city in October 1989.
Congress attacks government over lynchings in name of cow
New Delhi, (IANS): Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday attacked the government over incidents of lynching in the name of cow protection, alleging that...
Sania will continue to play for India: AITA
By IANS,
New Delhi: Quashing rumours of Sania Mirza playing for Pakistan after her marriage to cricketer Shoaib Malik, All India Tennis Association (AITA) Thursday issued a statement confirming her participation for India till the 2012 Olympics.
"Sania Mirza and her parents have informed AITA that she will continue to play for India after her marriage with Shoaib Malik," AITA secretary-general Anil Khanna said.
Top Bengal Maoist leader in police net
By IANS
Kolkata : A top Maoist leader of West Bengal has been arrested by sleuths of the state's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) from a railway station near here, police said Sunday.
Somen, whose real name is Himadri Sen Roy, is the state secretary of Communist Party of India-Maoist, police claimed. He was held Saturday evening and his associate Deba was also arrested simultaneously, said Rajiv Kumar, CID deputy inspector general (operations).
Gujarat Congress approaches PM to get minority schemes implemented
By TCN Special Correspondent
HC asks zoo panel, Delhi Zoo to reply on visitors’ safety
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Wednesday sought a response from the city police, Delhi Zoo and the Central Zoo Authority on a...
BJP urges backward Muslims to benefit from government’s pro-poor measures
New Delhi, (IANS): Keen to improve BJP's reach among Muslims in view of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, a meeting was held here on Tuesday...
Jamaat-e-Islami survey in Kashmir finds security forces targeting vital parts of protesters
By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Srinagar: Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) Jammu and Kashmir has conducted a survey on the intensity of the security forces brutality on...
On Bhima Koregaon, your Janaeu was shining brightly on Republic TV: An open letter...
By Disha KR for TwoCircles.net
Dear Mr Arnab Goswami,
Your debate #Endcastepolitics on both 2nd and 3rd of January is a perfect example of a casteist...
Pakistani speaker on Rushdie: blasphemers ‘liable to death’
By DPA
Islamabad : The speaker of a Pakistan provincial legislative assembly Thursday said those who blasphemed were "liable to death", during debate on Britain's knighting of author Salman Rushdie.
Top US military officer meets Pakistan army chief
By IANS,
Islamabad : Chairman of United States joint chiefs of staff Admiral Mike Mullen has met Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani here, a media report said Tuesday. The meeting took place in the backdrop of heightened tension between India and Pakistan following the Mumbai terror attacks.
The two officials had an exchange of views Monday on the Pakistan-India situation, war on terror, border situation between Pakistan and Afghanistan and overall security in the region, The News reported.
Were Bangladeshi militants given safe passage, BJP asks Mamata
Kolkata : Stepping up the attack on West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee regime, the BJP Thursday alleged that Jamat Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) operatives were given...
Educational rehabilitation of strife affected students of BTAD
By Justice M.S.A. Siddiqui
Transplanting elephant head on human body! The magic of mythological fiction
By Ram Puniyani,
One of the best parts of childhood for me was to enjoy the mythological tales and become aware of the world where Lord Hanuman could fly, as the emergency herbal treatment is to be delivered to his master’s brother; Laxman. Lord Ram travelling by Pushpak Viman (aero plane), Lord Ganesha being planted with the head of elephant as his human head was chopped off by his father, all this was uncritically digested.
Sharif won’t be allowed to return before polls: Musharraf
By DPA
Islamabad : Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has said that the country's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was sent into exile twice, will not be allowed to stage a comeback before the forthcoming national elections, media reported Friday.
Musharraf gave the assurance to his political allies at a dinner Thursday night only hours after the European parliament asked Pakistan to permit all exiled leaders to return prior to the polls scheduled for January, The News reported.
Seven killed, 60 hurt in Lahore twin blasts
By IANS,
Islamabad : At least seven people, including a policeman, were killed and 60 injured in twin blasts during a Shia procession in Lahore Wednesday, Xinhua reported.
The first blast took place around 6.50 p.m., killing at least four people and injuring 40 others.
The second blast, which is reportedly a suicide attack, took place about 25 minutes later near the site of the first blast, killing at least three people, including a policeman, and injuring some 20 others.
Khudai Khidmatgar held Sanjhi Virasat Yatra in memory of Sheikh Ul Hind Maulana Mahmoodul...
TCN News
Khudai Khidmatgar organised a yatra from Rajghat, New Delhi to Deoband, Uttar Pradesh on November 30 in memory of Indian Freedom Fighter Sheikh...
Day after shooting, Jama Masjid area bustles amid police presence
By Suhas Munshi,IANS,
Kejriwal blames Modi government for court violence
New Delhi : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday blamed the central government for the violence that took place in the Patiala House...
IM waging war against India: NIA charge sheet
By IANS,
New Delhi : Indian Mujahideen (IM), a banned terrorist organisation, has entered into a larger conspiracy of waging war against the government of...
Akbaruddin Owaisi skipped Nirmal police enquiry on health grounds
By TwoCircles.netStaff Reporter,
ABVP seeks Delhi Police action in JNU campus incident
New Delhi : An Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) delegation on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma demanding action...