UAE mulls legalizing therapeutic abortion
By Xinhua
Abu Dhabi : A senior official of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said the government is working to draft a law allowing therapeutic abortions, as part of the country's prevention programme of genetic disorders.
"We are studying it from two ways: on the mother or child's health. But the choice to have the abortion will be under the umbrella of religion. Whatever we decide has to be within the religious and social environment," Ali Shakar of the ministry of health was quoted as saying in Gulf News Thursday.
CBI probe into AP police hand in fake encounters urged
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Hyderabad : Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee India, in a memorandum sent Wednesday to Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, urged the Union Government to direct Chief Minister YS Rajshekhar Reddy to initiate a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the involvement of city police in fake encounters.
21 Indian workers in Malaysia allege abuse
By IANS
Kuala Lumpur : Twenty-one Indian workers who arrived in Malaysia for a better future now want to return home, saying they were beaten by their employer and denied salary.
The men, aged between 20 and 40, had borrowed heavily from friends and relatives in India to reach this country. They all worked at a restaurant in Pandamaran Jaya, Klang.
They claimed they had not been paid by their employer and were even beaten on several occasions, the New Straits Times reported.
Bangladesh chief justice rues politicization of judiciary
By IANS
Dhaka : Bangladesh's most respected institution, the judiciary, has been politicised and the damage will take more than 20 years to repair, laments Chief Justice Ruhul Amin.
He told a gathering of lawyers in Noakhali that the damage wrought by political appointments to the judiciary in the recent years "will take more than 20 years to remedy", The Daily Star reported.
The current interim administration echoes him.
Former Afghan prime minister shot dead
By DPA
Kabul : Abdul Saboor Farid, a former mujahideen prime minister and now a parliament member, has been assassinated here, police said.
Farid, a member of the upper house from Kapisa province, was shot dead in front of his house in the northern part of Kabul Wednesday night, said Zemaria Bashary, an interior ministry spokesman.
Farid was shot several times from a moving Corolla model car in Khairkhana as he was entering his house. No group has taken responsibility for the murder.
‘Sikh woman’s murder plotted in UK, executed in India’
By IANS
London : A Sikh customs officer at Heathrow airport was allegedly murdered by her mother-in-law and husband after they had lured her to India on the pretext of attending a family wedding, a court here has heard.
Surjit Kaur Athwal, a 27-year-old mother of two, was allegedly strangled to death in India in 1998 by her husband Sukhdave Athwal, 42, and his mother, Bachan Athwal, 68, but the matter came to light so late because family members who knew the truth feared for their lives, a court here was told Wednesday.
Islamabad asks NWFP to check ‘Talibanisation’
By IANS
Islamabad : The Pakistan government has expressed concern over rising Talibanisation in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and asked the provincial administration to take measures to counter it.
A formal letter has been sent to the NWFP authorities and the government expected a positive response, Interior Ministry spokesperson Javed Iqbal Cheema was quoted as saying by Aaj television.
Participation of Urdu, Ulema in 1857 celebrations urged
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Meerut : Majlis Falah-e-Insaniyat president Maulana Abdullah Saleem has lamented the government's bid to neglect Urdu and Ulema in the celebrations of First War of Independence 1857.
Muslims protest reorganisation of Muslim concentration areas
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Gaya : There is a well-hatched conspiracy in the reorganisation of Muslim concentration municipal constituencies in the city, and this has been done at the behest of P.H.E.D. Minister Dr Prem Kumar, said social activist and advocate Masud Manzar here Wednesday. Mr Manzar has also called upon the District Magistrate to enquire into the matter.
Explosion kills one in Kabul
By Xinhua
Kabul : A roadside bomb exploded in Kabul Thursday, killing one person and injuring 14 people, officials said.
The explosion struck a bus taking Afghan soldiers to the Afghan capital. The bus was badly damaged and several soldiers were among the injured.
Woman cop resigns as ‘molester’ colleague gets plum post
By IANS
Chandigarh : A woman official in the Chandigarh police has tendered her resignation after a male colleague, whom she had accused of molesting and threatening her, was given a plum posting.
Sub-inspector Paramjit Kaur Sekhon submitted her resignation to Inspector General of Police S.K. Jain late Wednesday following a reshuffle of middle-level police officials in the city that saw her senior colleague, Inspector Jagir Singh, get a better appointment than his last.
When the school comes calling to these street children
By Azera Rahman
IANS
New Delhi : Her hair unkempt and dressed in rags, seven-year-old Rani holds a stack of newspapers under her arm at a busy traffic intersection in the city waiting for a car to halt. Just then a van wheels by making her squeal in delight. A host of other kids join her and they run towards it chanting 'Didi'(elder sister).
AIDS initiative takes root at transgender festival
By Papri Sri Raman
IANS
Koovagam (Tamil Nadu) : At a small temple in rural Tamil Nadu where a transgender festival is on in full swing, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has begun a major initiative for healthy sexual practices.
At least 300,000 trans-genders, homosexuals and local villagers gathered here to take part in this annual two-day festival this week to worship local deity Koothandavar.
This year, there were Australian, Austrian, Malysian, French, British and American trans-genders attending the fest, which fell on Chaitra Poornima on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Contractor shot dead in Patna
By IANS
Patna : A young man working as a contractor was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Bihar early Thursday, police said.
Ajay Kumar Singh was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle at the busy Boring road here. According to police, Singh was killed when he was returning to his residence.
The body has been sent for post-mortem.
Tourist inflow touches record high in Sharjah
By IANS
Sharjah : With hotel occupancy achieving record highs, Sharjah has become one of the leading destinations in the region - successfully attracting a worldwide influx of both tourists and investors.
Figures released Wednesday by Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority show that the volume of tourists to the emirate last year reached an astonishing 1.3 million, compared to 600,000 in 2001, according to the WAM news agency.
The overall occupancy rate in the emirate's hotels and hotel apartments reached 82 percent.
AFMI express concern for AMU and Jamia Nizamia
TwoCircles.net newsdesk
Â
FARMINGTON, MI: The American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (USA & Canada) expresses alarm and concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in Muslim educational institutions like Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Nizamia of Hyderabad. The shooting deaths of two students at Aligarh Muslim University has left the university in crisis with the Vice Chancellor, Registrar, and the Proctor resigning from their respective posts.Â
Rani Sipri mosque demolition case adjourned till July
By Kashif-ul-huda, TwoCircles.net Ahmedabad: Gujarat High Court adjourned the hearing of the case against...
Islam gave dignity & honour to women: MP Governor
By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net
Â
Bhopal: The Prophet of Islam Hazrat Mohammad (PBUH) is the savior of humanity who laid special emphasis on womenfolk. More than 1400 years ago when the Arabs were indulging in infanticide and killing the girl child Hazrat Mohammad (PBUH) put an end to it while spreading the message of equality, justice and brotherhood as enunciated by Islam.
BBC scribe’s kidnappers have presented demands: Haniya
By DPA
Gaza City : Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya revealed Wednesday that the kidnappers of Alan Johnston, the BBC correspondent abducted in Gaza City on March 12, presented seven demands that "are not related to the Palestinian cause".
"A group of youths, confused with ideological, political and religious beliefs, is holding BBC reporter Alan Johnston hostage," Haniya said during a ceremony to launch the Gaza-based pro-Hamas Palestine daily.
Amit Jogi sent to jail in political murder case
By IANS
Raipur : Amit Jogi, son of former Chhattisgarh chief minister and senior Congress leader Ajit Jogi, surrendered in a court here Wednesday and was sent to jail for his alleged connection in the murder of a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader in 2003.
Pakistani-Afghan peace commission to meet in Kabul
By DPAÂ Islamabad/Kabul : Delegations from Pakistan and Afghanistan will meet in Kabul Thursday for two days of talks aimed at stemming cross-border movement by...
Over 20 killed in Sri Lankan clashes
By Xinhua
Colombo : Over 20 people including rebels and civilians have been killed during the last 24 hours in Sri Lanka's north and east due to violence in the island's separatist armed conflict, defence officials said Wednesday.
Officials said some 10 members of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were killed in the north-western Mannar district forward defence line separating the government and rebel held territory.
In separate attacks, three LTTE members were killed at Welioya and five more rebels were killed at Thoppigala in Eastern Province.
Markazi Jamiat urges PM to address Muslim issues
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi : Â A delegation of Markazi Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind led by the organisation's general secretary Maulana Fuzail Ahmad Qasmi called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here Thursday and discussed the various issues confronting Indian Muslims.
The delegation members drew the attention of Prime Minister to implementation of Justice Sachar Committee recommendations, citizenship of refugees in Kokrajhar district of Assam, Pota detainees, etc.
Another shootout victim’s family demands CBI probe
By IANS,
Thane (Maharashtra) : The Gujarat police looked deeper into trouble Wednesday after family members of a Mumbra-based victim of an allegedly staged shootout demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or any other competent agency into her death in 2005.
Special prayers for release of abducted schoolboy
By IANS,
Patna : Twenty days after the abduction of six-year-old Ankit, special prayers were offered Wednesday by children at a temple and a mosque in the Bihar capital seeking divine blessings for his safe recovery.
Bihar police have failed to make any breakthrough despite repeated assurances to Ankit's parents that police investigations were on the right track and he would be recovered soon.
Tanzeem Ulema-i-Hind seeks president rule in Gujarat
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi : Â Tanzeem Ulema-i-Hind general secretary Maulana Ahmad Khizr Shah has sought the sacking of chief minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi for his alleged hand in the staged encounter killings of Sohrabuddin and others.
In a meeting held here Tuesday, Maulana Khizr Shah underlined the need for fair and unbiased probe into the cases of Akshardham and Parliament attack cases as well as fake encounter killings in Gujarat.
Palestine ready for two-state solution talks
By Xinhua,
Ramallah : Palestinian leadership is capable and ready to engage in peace talks with Israel based on two-state solution, a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) said Wednesday.
Yasser Abed Rabou, who is also a senior aide to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, stressed that any results of the future Israeli-Palestinian talks would be put for public referendum.
Abed Rabou made the remarks during a meeting with Yossi Beilin, chairman of the Israeli leftist party Meretz-Yahad.
Karzai slams foreign troops for civilian casualties
By DPA,
Kabul : Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai slammed foreign forces Wednesday for causing civilian deaths in the country, as more than 1,000 university students took to streets and chanted "Death to America" slogans in eastern Afghanistan.
US-led coalition forces claimed on Sunday and Monday having killed over 140 suspected Taliban in two separate raids in eastern and western Afghanistan, but Afghan governmental officials and tribal leaders said that a majority of the dead were civilians.
Five top Manipur separatists arrested in Guwahati
By IANS,
Guwahati : Five top separatist leaders of the northeastern state of Manipur were arrested in Assam in a major anti-insurgency drive, officials said Wednesday.
An Assam police spokesman said four of the arrested were from the outlawed People's Liberation Army (PLA) and their armed wing, the Revolutionary People's Front (RPF), and another was the general secretary of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF). All the arrests were made here late Tuesday.
Iraq opposes timetable for foreign forces’ pullout
By DPA,
Cairo/Baghdad : The Iraqi government does not want a timetable for the pullout of the multi-national forces from Iraq to be discussed during an international Iraq conference in Egypt, media reports said Wednesday.
According to Iraq News Agency, Deputy Foreign Minister Labeed Abawi said that Iraq did not want any such reference in the concluding statement of the conference on reconstructing Iraq.
The conference will be held on May 3-4 in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh.
Fighting escalates in Sri Lanka, 16 killed
By DPA,
Colombo : At least 16 people including two civilians and a paramilitary guard were killed in sporadic clashes in the north and eastern parts of the country where fighting has escalated, military officials said Wednesday.
A rebel riding on a bicycle Wednesday shot dead a paramilitary guard in Eravur as he was escorting a police vehicle, a military official said.
The victim was identified as Mohamed Faum, 31.
Police in Vavuniya found the bullet-riddled bodies of two minority Tamil civilians on Wednesday morning, the official said.
Ahmadinejad criticized for embracing his female schoolteacher
By DPA,
Tehran : Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, widely known for his strict Islamic approach, was criticized Wednesday in Islamic circles for having embraced his female teacher from primary school and for having kissed her hand.
The incident took place on teachers' day Tuesday in Tehran during which the president also awarded the elderly lady.
Although considered among Iranian officials as a total taboo, Ahmadinejad shook and kissed her hand and even embraced her after the award ceremony.
JIH demands release of innocent victims of ‘terror combat’
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi : Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Naib Amir Maulana Muhammad Shafi Moonis has severely condemned the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in a staged fake encounter followed by the killing of his wife Kauser Bi by senior police officers, calling the killings ‘brutal and barbaric', and called upon the government at the Centre to order a high level enquiry into all such cases of police excesses and encounters in the name of combating terror.
25 injured in Pakistan accident
By Xinhua,
Islamabad : At least 25 people were injured when a passenger bus fell into a ravine in northwestern Pakistan Wednesday.
The vehicle, carrying mostly army men, fell into a ravine while negotiating a curve near Mansehra town, some 50 km north of Islamabad, the private Geo News channel quoting police reported.
Five of the injured were in serious condition and three of them have been shifted to a military hospital in nearby city Abbotabad.
Cops on lookout for Dawood’s sister
By IANS,
Mumbai : Detectives have fanned out to several locations in search of Hasina Parkar, the sister of fugitive underworld don and March 12, 1993 blasts' prime conspirator Dawood Ibrahim as she is wanted in a case of cheating and extortion by the Mumbai police.
More than 15 days after the Anti-Extortion Cell of the Mumbai police registered an offence, teams of uniformed personnel and plainclothesmen have launched a massive manhunt for Parkar. However, she is yet to be traced and is said to be hiding in an undisclosed location.
Explosions kill 11 in Baghdad
By Xinhua
Baghdad : At least 11 Iraqis were killed and 19 wounded in two bomb attacks in a town south of Baghdad Wednesday, sources said.
"An explosive charge went off inside a minibus in Mahmoudiyah, killing eight passengers aboard and critically wounding four," they said.
Separately, several mortar rounds landed on a residential area in the town killing three civilians and wounding 15, the sources added.
Hasina ally approves of probe against her, Zia
By IANS,
London/Dhaka : Signalling a shift in loyalties, former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina's long-time ally Kamal Hossein is supporting the current government's attempts to conduct probes against her and rival Khaleda Zia.
Analysts said this indicates a possible parting of ways, even as Hasina prepares to return home from London after an abortive attempt by the government to exile her.
Both Hasina and Hossein, also in London, have expressed diametrically opposite views on political and constitutional issues raised at meetings of expatriate Bangladeshis.
Watchdog mooted to keep check on real estate frauds
By IANS,
New Delhi : A watchdog or a monitoring panel has been suggested for regulating India's realty industry to check "fake advertisements" inserted in leading national newspapers that invite people to invest in dream homes.
"Budding real estate developers have been flooding national dailies with fake advertisements, luring the aam adami's (common man's) hard-earned money," said the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Assocham).
Pakistan braces for new revelations on nuclear proliferation
By DPA,
Islamabad : Pakistani authorities prepared Wednesday to address potentially damaging new details contained in a report on the black market sale of sensitive technology by the former head of the country's nuclear programme, Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan.
Due for release during the day by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, the document titled "Nuclear black markets: Pakistan, AQ Khan and the rise of proliferation networks: A new assessment?" elaborates on the disgraced scientist's dealings over the years with Iran, North Korea and Libya.
Violence in Nandigram, villagers flee
By IANS,
Nandigram (West Bengal) : Shootouts, bombings and arson between rival groups continued in parts of Nandigram Wednesday, three days after the death of a person plunged the trouble-torn area in West Bengal into fresh turmoil.
Eyewitnesses said women and children were fleeing villages in large numbers to escape death and brutality. TV footage from the area showed people leaving villages while masked men fired at each other.
Iran, Oman discuss bilateral ties, regional issues
By IRNA
Tehran : Iran and Oman Tuesday in Muscat discussed avenues for bolstering bilateral relations as well as regional issues.
The discussion was made in a meeting attended by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and his Omani counterpart Yousuf bin Alawi Abdullah.
Mottaki is currently in Muscat to attend the 11th session of Iran-Oman Joint Economic Commission.
Pointing to Tehran-Muscat friendly relations, Mottaki called for making use of the existing potentials to improve bilateral economic and trade cooperation between the two states.
UAE, Saudi citizens can travel between the two countries with ID cards
By NNN-WAM
Riyadh : The United Arab Emirates and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have signed an agreement allowing UAE and Saudi nationals to travel between the two countries using ID cards.
The signing ceremony was attended by Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdul Aziz, Saudi Interior Minister's Assistant for Domestic Affairs.
The agreement was signed Tuesday at the Saudi Interior Ministry by Major General Mohammed Salim Al Khaily, Director of Immigration and Naturalisation Department and Major General Salim bin Fahd Al Belaihid, Director General of Saudi Immigration.
Agreement signed between Syria, UNHCR to assist Iraqis fleeing Iraq
By NNN-Kuna,
Geneva : The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has announced that it signed Monday an agreement with the Syrian government to provide the country's Ministry of Health with USD 2.06 million for rehabilitation of public hospitals in Damascus, medical buildings and provision of new medical equipment.
According to UNHCR spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis Tuesday, the amount is in addition to 11 ambulances the organisation is delivering to the Ministry of Health, Syrian Red Crescent and the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Emirates to resume flights to Colombo
By Xinhua,
Abu Dhabi : Dubai-based Emirates Airline will resume flights to Colombo from May 4, after suspending service to the Sri Lankan capital following the recent air raid by Tamil Tiger rebels.
"Following a review of the situation in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, Emirates is to resume normal operations to and from the city from May 4, 2007," a statement by the airline was quoted as saying by Gulf News.
There was confusion and panic in Colombo in the early hours of April 29 when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) carried out an air raid in the city suburbs.
US talking secretly to terrorists in Iraq: Larijani
By IANS,
Najaf : Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani says the US is engaged in secret talks with terrorists in Iraq and the US ambassador to the country held negotiations with terrorist groups a couple of months ago.
Larijani made the remarks, based on information obtained, at a press conference after his meeting with Ayatollah Sistani, the spiritual leader of Shia Muslims in Iraq, reports IRNA news agency.
The US has been trapped in Iraq's quagmire and is seeking to find new opportunities to get rid of the existing situation, he said.
Musharraf’s re-election plan a sham: rights body
By IANS,
Islamabad : Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's plan to get re-elected by the current parliament and legislatures before the general elections will bypass the democratic process and be a sham, says a rights group.
"Musharraf intends to bypass the democratic process once again by staging an illegal presidential election ahead of the parliamentary vote," said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Two Jharkhand cops in soup over benefit anomalies
By IANS,
Ranchi : Two senior police officials in Jharkhand have been charged with misuse of posts to avail of free benefits and salary.
While Jharkhand Director General of Police (DGP) J.B. Mahapatra is accused of using un-entitled railway passes, DG reforms V.D. Ram has been charged by the auditor general of taking wrongful salary from a post not officially sanctioned.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Saryu Rai alleged that Mahapatra was posted as DG Jharkhand State Housing Board Corporation (JSHBC), but enjoyed a railway pass he was not entitled to.
Pakistani judge hearing resumes under tight security
By DPA,
Islamabad : Pakistan's Supreme Judicial Council Wednesday resumed hearing abuse of office charges against suspended chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry under tight security following the recent bombing aimed at the interior minister.
Police sealed off the area around the Supreme Court where hundreds of protesting lawyers and opposition supporters had gathered during previous hearings.
In a statement issued to media, opposition leaders vowed to demonstrate again outside the court building despite cordons erected by police, Geo TV reported.
Zebri, Moussa discuss Iraqi affairs, preparations for Sharm El-Sheikh conference
By NNN-KUNA,
Cairo : Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa has held talks on the Iraqi situation and preparations for the Sharm El-Sheikh conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.
The League's spokesman Alaa Al-Hadidi said Tuesday the meeting also shed light on the meeting of the International Compact on Iraq to be held Thursday, adding that meetings for Iraq's neighbouring states, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members, and the G-8 industrial states were focused on during discussions.
Iran’s FM holds talks in Oman
By NNN-KUNA,
Muscat : Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki held here talks with his Omani counterpart Yousef bin Alawi and discussed with him bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Alawi said in a statement that his talks with Mottaki were significant to review coordination over a number of issues of mutual concern.
He said he listened to the Iranian point of view over a number of issues of concern to the region, saying Iran has been exerting tremendous efforts to contribute positively in resolving the crises in Lebanon and Iraq.
Quartet to hold meeting with Arab Officials
By NNN-KUNA,
Washington : The Quartet group will meet with Arab officials assigned to discuss the Arab peace initiative on the sidelines of the Iraq's neighbours conference scheduled to be held in the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm El-Sheikh on Friday, a US official said.
Syria will be attending, paving the way for the highest-level meeting that will bring together Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Syrian officials on the same table.
Two men accused of funding Sri Lankan terror group
By NNN-BERNAMA
Melbourne : Two Melbourne men have appreared in court to face charges of providing material support and funding to Sir Lanka’s Tamil Tigers rebels.
Aruran Vinayagamoorthy, 32, from the suburb of Mt Waverley, and Sivarajah Yathavan, 36, from Vermont South here, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court Tuesday after their arrests earlier in the day, the Australian Associated Press (AAP) news agency reported.
A chronicler of 1857 par excellence
By M.R. Narayan Swamy,
Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi : It was towards the close of the 19th century when the teenager heard about the 1857 revolt for the first time. In no time Khwaja Hasan Nizami began to find out what really happened. In the years to come, he wrote 15 fine books on the Mutiny. Sadly, few survive with his family here.
A wedding and two conferences at Sharm el-Sheikh
By DPA
Cairo : While many of the delegates at a two-day Iraq conference in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh this week will prepare to leave after it ends Friday, a chosen few might stay over for a majestic reception the same day.
The reception, to be held at the presidential villa in Sharm el-Sheikh, is to celebrate two occasions: the 79th birthday of Egypt's President Hosny Mubarak and the marriage of his eldest son Gamal, rumoured as being groomed to succeed his father.
Musharraf must step down as president or army chief: Human Rights Watch
TwoCircles.net newsdesk
Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf's insistence on holding onto the office of army chief as well as the presidency prevents Pakistan from returning to the rule of law under its constitution, Human Rights Watch said today.
UN experts jointly express deep concern over casualties in Somali capital
By TwoCircles.net
 Twelve United Nations experts united to voice their deep concern today about the recent violence in the Somali capital Mogadishu, where hundreds of people have been killed in the latest clashes and hundreds of thousands forced to flee in recent months.
Court frames charges against two Uttar Pradesh IAS officers
By IANS
Ghaziabad : A Ghaziabad court Tuesday framed charges against two senior Uttar Pradesh government officers, including Allahabad Revenue Board Chairperson Neera Yadav, for alleged irregularities and corruption in land allotment in Noida.
Anti-Corruption Judge Rama Jain framed charges against Neera Yadav and state Principal Secretary (Education) Rajiv Kumar for irregularities in land allotment when they were Chief Executive Authority (CEO) and Deputy CEO respectively of Noida in 1994.
Three arrested for using forged letterheads
By IANS, New Delhi : Three people, including a woman, have been arrested for forging the letterhead of the Lok Janshakti Party and using it to extort money from the owner of a private hospital, police said Tuesday.
Officers of the Special Cell apprehended the trio - Anil Kumar Gautam, Pramod Kumar Sharma and his wife Savita Sharma - on Monday from central Delhi after receiving a complaint from the hospital owner.
Staged killing accused police garlanded; Andhra denies involvement
By IANS, New Delhi/Hyderabad/Ahmedabad : Even as the Supreme Court is to give verdict Thursday on the killing of Kausar Bi, wife of encounter victim Sohrabuddin Sheikh, the three arrested police officers were Tuesday garlanded by Bajrang Dal activists in Ahmedabad as Andhra Pradesh denied involvement of its state police.
The three police officers - D.G. Vanzara, Rajkumar Pandiyan and Dineshkumar M.N. - arrested last week for the Nov 26, 2005, staged killing of Sheikh were remanded to police custody till May 5 by a metropolitan magistrate in Ahmedabad.
Bangladesh on high alert after serial blasts
By DPA, Dhaka : Security forces were put on a state of high alert across Bangladesh on Tuesday after an apparently orchestrated bomb attack was carried out by suspected Islamic militants, officials said.
The blasts rocked the capital Dhaka and spread panic in two other cities leaving several people injured.
The attackers claimed that they were members of the new militant outfit Jadid al-Queda.
Terror camps continue in Pakistan: US report
By IANS, New Delhi : Contrary to Islamabad claims that terrorist organisations no longer flourish in Pakistan, the US state department has raised concerns that outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) continue to operate from Pakistan for their activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
The 'Country Terrorism Report' prepared by the State Department and released Monday has listed these outfits among the 42 prominent terrorist groups worldwide.
Nithari victims’ parents move court against clean chit to Pandher
By IANS, Ghaziabad : Parents of children murdered allegedly by a psychopath serial killer in the house of businessman Moninder Singh Pandher in Nithari village moved a city court Tuesday challenging the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)'s clean chit to Pandher.
Police discovered skeletal remains of at least 20 children and women in a drain behind the house of Pandher in the Nithari in Uttar Pradesh's Noida district close to national capital Delhi.
The CBI has so far filed three charge sheets against Pandher's domestic aide Surendra Koli for three of the killings.
Haryana police looking for Delhi bookie in betting racket
By IANS, Chandigarh : Haryana police have issued a search notice for a Delhi resident after they busted an inter-state cricket betting racket operating in Gurgaon and Delhi.
The main accused Bobby Gujral of Delhi's upscale Malcha Marg area is absconding and the state police have alerted immigration check posts countrywide to prevent him from fleeing abroad.
A police spokesman said here Tuesday that 139 mobile numbers have been identified that were being used in the betting racket.
Mob ransacks Kolkata hospital after infant’s death
By IANS, Kolkata : Angry family members of a 10-month-old baby who died at a private city hospital Tuesday ransacked the hospital alleging medical negligence. Several people were injured as police resorted to baton charge to control the situation.
However, the hospital authorities, who refused to hand over the body till all dues were cleared, said the infant was suffering from fatal ailments since birth.
Gulam Mohammad, who was admitted to the Calcutta Medical Research Institute (CMRI) of Iqbalpur area in mid-March and was being fed through a pipe, died Tuesday morning at the hospital.
Kerala airports on high alert after hoax bomb threat
By IANS, Thiruvananthapuram : All three international airports in Kerala were Tuesday put on high alert after an anonymous caller claimed that a bomb on a Dubai-Kerala flight was set to go off. However, it turned out to be a hoax and police said it could be connected to a fake currency racket.
The police are probing to see if the hoax call and the seizure of fake Indian currency notes on Saturday night at Kozhikode have anything in common.
LTTE dismantles seized Jordanian ship
By IANS, Dubai : A company whose ship was hijacked by Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers late last year says the vessel is gone for good - the guerrillas have ripped it apart besides stealing its cargo of 14,000 tonnes of Indian rice.
The Jordan Times Tuesday quoted Saeed Suleiman, chairman of the Salam International Transport and Trading Co, as saying that it was no longer possible to recover the Jordanian ship Farah 3, which the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) seized in December 2006.
Giving privileges to minorities govt’s constitutional duty
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Agra : It is the constitutional duty of the government to provide the minorities with their legitimate rights and privileges; if a court of law nullifies the minority status of Muslims, it would be un-constitutional and the government would stand duty bound to get such a pronouncement null and void, remarked Head Department of Law Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh Dr Shakeel Samdani. He was participating in a seminar on "If Muslims would not be Minority" organised here Monday under the aegis of Muslim Advocates Forum.
Cricket clashes leave 50 hurt, 30 arrested in Bangladesh
By DPA, Dhaka : At least 50 people were injured, several of them critically, when a village cricket match triggered riots in northern Bangladesh, a media report said Tuesday.
Violence flared up in the Sirajganj district, where a disputed decision by an umpire led to an exchange of blows among players and their supporters, the privately run ATN News channel said.
Security forces fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to separate the feuding players and their supporters.
Bangladesh on high alert after blasts
By DPA, Dhaka : Security forces were on high alert across Bangladesh Tuesday after an apparently orchestrated bomb attack was carried out by suspected Islamic militants, officials said.
The blasts rocked the capital Dhaka and two other cities, leaving several people injured.
An unknown militant outfit, Jawaid-al Queda, claimed responsibility for the blasts.
The three explosions occurred at the rail stations in Dhaka, the southern port of Chittagong and the northeastern city of Sylhet.
Lalu demands Modi’s arrest over staged killing
By IANS, New Delhi : Union Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Tuesday demanded the immediate arrest of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi over the staged killing in 2005 of a man by state police officials after branding him a terrorist.
Asked about his reaction to the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife Kausar Bi in November 2005, Lalu Prasad said: "He (Modi) has committed a fraud and forgery. He has killed a person in a fake encounter. He should be immediately arrested and a Central Bureau of Investigation enquiry should be ordered to establish the truth."
Verdict on Gujarat fake shootout on Thursday
By IANS New Delhi : The Supreme Court has deferred to Thursday its verdict on the staged shootout of Ahmedabad resident Sohrabbudin Sheikh and...
Lashkar module busted, woman among 13 arrested in Kashmir
By IANS, Srinagar : Kashmir police have busted a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) module in Kashmir, responsible for a grenade attack on the Srinagar residence of the moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and other terrorist activities.
"In all, we arrested 13 militants including a woman working under the direct command of Abu Tahir, Pakistani commander of LeT," S. M. Sahai Kashmir zone inspector general of police told reporters here Tuesday.
Nepal Maoists resume arms, attack police post
By IANS, Kathmandu : The fragile peace process in Nepal has received a body blow with Maoists resuming arms and attacking a police station, less than a month after they joined the government, formally ending their decade-old guerrilla war.
Hundreds of guerrillas stormed the Suiya police post in Banke district, a rebel stronghold, Monday night and imprisoned the policemen on duty, including their chief, inspector Mukesh Kumar, the state media said Tuesday.
State police not involved in Sheikh’s killing: Andhra CM
By IANS
Hyderabad : Andhra Pradesh Tuesday denied its state police officials were involved in the killing of Gujarat resident Sohrabuddin Sheikh in a staged killing even as the Hyderabad police commissioner said it is a common practice for police of one state to help their counterparts in other states.
Jamia names department after Arjun Singh
By Prashant K. Nanda, IANS
New Delhi : After a yearlong uproar over reservation for OBCs, shelving of the education bill and a cold war with prestigious Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh finally has a reason to smile - a leading varsity here has named a department after him.
Jamia Milia Islamia has named its Centre for Distance and Open Learning after the minister. Besides, a road inside the campus would bear Singh's name.
Ayub Khan says Bhutto misled him into 1965 war
By IANS, Islamabad : Field marshal Ayub Khan, Pakistan's long-time president who ruled for much of the 1960s, has blamed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and generals around him for "misleading" him into launching a military conflict with India in 1965.
Ayub writes in his diaries "Friends Not Masters", being published this week, that he had been told that there was rebellion in Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan could capture the disputed territory with the help of infiltrators.
American attacked in Chhattisgarh, hunt on for miscreants
By IANS, Raipur : A major search operation was launched here Tuesday for unidentified miscreants who attacked and injured a US national Monday night, police said.
"Unknown attackers hit Steve Alison, an American, on Monday night in the Pandari area of Raipur. Alison fell unconscious and was taken to hospital by passers by. He had to undergo 12 stitches on the head," Shashimohan Singh, a police official, told IANS.
Kashmir high court refuses to stay single bench order
By IANS, Srinagar : A division bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Tuesday refused to put on hold a judgement of the court's single bench cancelling the appointment of the director of a prestigious medical institute here.
The division bench, comprising Justice Bashir Ahmad Kirmani and Justice Y.P. Nargotra fixed next week for the final hearing of the appeal filed by the state government and Sheikh Jalal, the ousted director of the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) here.
Al Qaeda chief in Iraq killed
By Xinhua, Baghdad : The chief of Al Qaeda in Iraq Abu Ayyub al-Masri has been killed in an area north of Baghdad, Iraqi state-run television reported Tuesday.
"News said that Abu Ayyub al-Masri has been killed in Nibaie area in Taji," the Iraqia television quoted Brigadier-General Abdul Karim Khalaf as saying.
"Definite intelligence reports said that disputes among the Qaeda groups developed to internal clashes which resulted in the killing of Abu Ayyub al-Masri," Khalaf told the television.
Singer Rathore gets non-bailable warrant
By IANS, Jaipur : A Jaipur court has issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Bollywood playback singer Vinod Rathore over the bouncing of a cheque given by him to an educational trust here.
The court, which had summoned Rathore on Feb 28, issued the warrant Monday after the singer failed to turn up.
In 2005, Rathore had taken a loan of Rs.200,000 from one of the trustees of the Kushal education Trust.
JIH names zonal presidents for 4-year term
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi : The newly elected Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Maulana Sayyid Jalaluddin Umari has appointed the following persons zonal presidents of the organisation's various zones for the term April 2007-March 2011.
Out of the total 15 zones, four zones have been placed under the leadership of entirely new faces. These new zonal presidents are Malick Moatasim Khan (A.P. & Orissa), Mohd. Abdullah Javed (Karnataka & Goa), Mr. A. Basheer Ahmed (Tamilnadu & Pondicherry), and Mr. Abdul Ahad Khan (M.P. & Chhattisgarh).
Two alleged LTTE members arrested in Australia
By DPA, Sydney : Two Melbourne men were arrested Tuesday and charged with being members of and raising money for the banned Sri Lankan terrorist organisation Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
"I want to make it clear that these men weren't involved in any possible attacks on Australia soil," Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Frank Prendergast told reporters.
"The offences they have been charged with are activities which occurred in Australia supporting the LTTE in Sri Lanka," he added.
The arrests came after dawn raids in Melbourne and Sydney.
Gunmen kill 11 people south of Baghdad
By Xinhua, Baghdad : Unknown gunmen shot dead 11 people and critically wounded three others when attacking a truck near an area south of Baghdad, a police source said Tuesday.
"Iraqi police patrols found in the morning a truck with 11 bodies of people that were shot dead overnight on the main road near the town of Iskandriyah town, some 50 km south of Baghdad," the source said.
Three people, including a woman and a child, were found seriously wounded in the truck, the source added.
The incident took place in a rebel area south of Baghdad known as the "triangle of death."
Nepal Maoists resume arms, attack police: report
By IANS, Kathmandu : A month after Nepal's Maoist rebels joined the seven-party government, signalling a formal end to their decade-old guerrilla war, a large contingent of them has attacked a remote police station with firearms, a media report said Tuesday.
Hundreds of guerrillas stormed the Suiya police post in Banke district, a stronghold of the guerrillas, Monday night and heavy firing was reported, Kantipur, a private television channel, said Tuesday.
Four insurgents killed in Afghanistan
By Xinhua, Kabul: Afghan police and the US-led coalition forces killed four militants and injured seven others in Khost province of eastern Afghanistan, a coalition statement said Tuesday.
A group of insurgents attacked the centre of Spera district early Monday, and local police fought back, the statement said.
Coalition forces responded with close air support, killing four insurgents and wounding seven others, it added.
One Afghan policeman and one pro-government tribal soldier were wounded, according to the statement.
Dalit Muslims, Christians march for quota
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi : Various organisations of Dalit Muslims and Christians staged a march from Ramlila Ground to Jantar Mantar here Monday to demand amendment to Article 341 of the Constitution, which restricts economically backward Muslims and Christians from the benefits of reservations.
With the waving of a green flag by Rajya Sabha member and Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind general secretary Maulana Mahmood Madani started the mammoth rally, which urged the Union Government to bring discrimination against Dalit Muslims and Christians to an end.
Separate religion from politics, pleads Pakistan lawmaker
By IANS, Islamabad: A Parsi lawmaker in Pakistan pleaded that religion be kept away from politics, creating an uproar in the country's National Assembly and forcing the speaker to switch off his microphone.
M.P. Bhandara, member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League, Monday stressed that as per founding father Mohammed Ali Jinnah's vision of a secular polity, there was no role of religion in politics.
The only way terrorism could be tackled was by separating the two, added Bhandara, considered a maverick.
Body of abducted Patna man recovered
By IANS, Patna: The beheaded body of a man, who was abducted from here two days ago, was found near a garbage dump, police said Tuesday.
Rice dealer Rajesh Kumar Sah, in his early 30s, was abducted Sunday afternoon and later killed by his abductors.
"A police team during a routine patrolling recovered the decapitated body of Rajesh," an official said.
He added that Rajesh's hands and feet were tied with a telephone wire.
"The family members of Rajesh identified his body late Monday night," the official said.
Dhaka to send special envoy to US to explain situation
By IANS, Dhaka: Bangladesh's caretaker government is dispatching a special envoy to the US to explain the political situation in the country.
Former foreign secretary Farooq Sobhan leaves for Washington Thursday and will meet US Congressmen, National Security Council members and other officials during his weeklong visit, the Daily Star reported.
He will explain various reform measures undertaken by Chief Advisor Fakhruddin Ahmed's government to combat corruption and create a level-playing field for holding free, fair and credible elections in Bangladesh.
Dhaka wants to revive tri-nation gas pipeline
By IANS, Dhaka: Bangladesh wants to revive the tri-nation gas pipeline project with India and Myanmar and will work towards getting the "best possible advantage" through it, says Foreign Affairs Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury.
"We are ready to negotiate for allowing the pipeline if Myanmar sells gas and India agrees to buy...We'll obtain best possible advantage through negotiations - we'll get revenue," Chowdhury told reporters after a visit to Myanmar.
Kerala airports on high alert after bomb scare
By IANS,Thiruvananthapuram: All three international airports in Kerala were Tuesday put on high alert after an anonymous caller claimed that a bomb on a Dubai-Kerala flight was set to go off.
Kerala has three international airports - in Kochi, Kozhikode and state capital Thiruvananthapuram - and over a dozen flights from the Middle East are scheduled for the day.
Senior police official Arun Kumar Sinha said the call came to a police station in Mangalore, which informed the Central Industrial Security Force office - in charge of security in the three airports.
Minority students in Pakistan forced to study ‘Islamiyat’
Karachi, May 1 (IANS) Non-Muslim students in government-run schools in Pakistan struggle with studying 'Islamiyat' as they are unfamiliar with reading and writing Arabic. But lack of alternatives and facilities means they don't have a choice and are forced to continue in these schools.
This affects the lives of thousands of Hindu and Christian students who have no option but Islamic studies in state-run educational institutions, The Daily Times has said.
VSNL launches wireless international broadband
Mumbai, May 1 (IANS) Tata Group company VSNL is all set to provide roaming wireless broadband services to international travellers during their stay in India.
The service will allow seamless roaming and usage within the VSNL wireless broadband network in India wherein visitors can access high-speed wireless broadband using their home country account and identity.
Terrorist attacks worldwide rose sharply in 2006
Washington, May 1 (DPA) Terrorist attacks worldwide rose by 25 percent in 2006 compared to the previous year, with Iraq accounting for more than half the 20,000 fatalities, the US State Department said.
There were about 6,600 terrorist attacks in Iraq in 2006 that claimed 13,000 lives, the State Department said Monday in its annual report on international terrorism.
The number of terrorist attacks in Iraq grew by more than 3,000 from 2005 and made up 45 percent of all global attacks, the report said.
‘Canada police was warned about 1985 Air India bombing’
Montreal, May 1 (DPA) Canadian police were tipped off that Sikh separatists could be plotting a terrorist attack against an India-bound flight several months before Air India flight 182 exploded, killing hundreds, a former policeman told an inquiry panel.
The testimony contradicted the official account by Canadian police, who have insisted for more than two decades that security personnel had no idea the attack was coming.
30 MPs urge stringent action against fake encounter culprits
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi : As many as 30 Members of Parliament belonging to different political parties, including DMK, Rashtriya Janata Dal, CPI(M), CPI, and Congress submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here Monday, demanding stringent action against erring IPS officers held in Sohrabuddin fake encounter and Kauser Bi murder cases.
The parliamentarians also urged the Prime Minister to initiate an enquiry into whether Gujarat administration was hand in glove with these erring men in uniform.
BJP’s demand for arrest of Geelani biased: JKLF
By News Agency of Kashmir
Srinagar: Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Farooq Siddiqi termed the demand raised by BJP members in Lok Sabha for arrest of Hurriyat leader Sayeed Ali Shah Geelani as biased and reflecting anti Kashmir posture of the party.
Another jolt for J&K police: Names of senior officers figure in custodial killing
by News Agency of Kashmir
Jammu, The police department has received another jolt after names of some senior officers including Senior Superintendent of Police, Dy Superintendent of Police, Assistant Sub-Inspector and Hawaldar besides two SPO's figured in a custodial killing case of 1995 at Ramban being investigated by crime branch.
Names of some civilians reportedly workings as police source have also figured during the investigation.
Sources said that a team of crime branch which reached Ramban today arrested two SPOs and a civilian said to be a police source.
European Parliament to vote on Kashmir Report in May
By INEPNEXT
Brussels, The plenary session of the EuropeanParliament (EP) is to debate and vote on its Kashmir Report during thethird week of May, the author of the report Baroness Emma Nicholson has announced.
Her draft report titled “Kashmir: present situation and future prospects� was adopted by the EP’s Foreign Affairs Committee on 21March with 60 votes in favor and only one against and 11 abstentions.
US Muslims request CBI enquiry into AMU Disturbances
By TwoCircles.net reporter
Association of Indian Muslims (AIM), a US based organization of Indian Muslims have requested the government to have CBI look into the causes that lead to recent disturbances on Aligarh Muslim University campus. Kaleem Kawaja, president of AIM said that Indian Muslims are very disturbed on the recent events at AMU campus.
Enraged Australians chase business cheats overseas
Sydney, May 1 (DPA) Australian investors cheated out of their savings are taking the law into their own hands, hiring private investigators and making sure those they suspect of robbing them are brought back to the country to face the courts.
Vigilantes have also hounded the corporate watchdog, the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), into action.
"On the whole, ASIC is not dealing with the issues that would make a difference to retail shareholders," said Stephen Matthews, head of the Australian Shareholders Association.
UN Security Council deplores rising civilian deaths in Somali
by TwoCircles newsdesk
Deeply deploring the civilian deaths resulting from renewed fighting in Somalia, the Security Council today urged the country’s Government to reach out to all segments of the war-torn country’s society, while demanding that the warring parties allow relief aid to reach those in need.
Taj city acts against Yamuna polluters
Agra, May 1 (IANS) Determined to clean up the Yamuna, authorities in the Taj Mahal city have arrested 23 cattle owners and washermen for dirtying the river.
The surprise and swift operation - involving the joint staff of five police stations - made the arrests Saturday under various sections of the Water Pollution Act of 1974.
Police said the arrested people - 18 'dhobis' (washermen) and five cattle owners - could be fined and sentenced up to seven years in jail.
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