Death toll from Baghdad’s car bombing rises to 15
By Xinhua
Baghdad : The death toll from the car bomb explosion in Baghdad's Shiite bastion of Sadr City on Saturday, rose to 15 while up to 45 others were injured, an Interior Ministry source said.
"Our latest report said that 15 people were killed and 45others were injured in the car bomb explosion in Sadr City," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Women and children were among the casualties, the source said.
Shamim Khan takes lead in PGTI Tour Championship
By IANS,
Mewat (Haryana): Shamim Khan of the Delhi Golf Club shot a blistering six under 66 at the Classic Golf Resort here Friday to take a three stroke lead in round three of the PGTI Tour Championship 2009.
Shamim has now taken his total to 15 under 201, ahead of Ashok Kumar who was placed second at 12 under 204 as he shot a 70 Friday.
Shamim (67, 68, 66), who was overnight second, climbed to the top of the leaderboard as a result of his excellent chipping and putting on day three. He began poorly as he three-putted on the second and made bogey.
Chinese police nabs foreman, rescues another 20 slave workers
By Xinhua
Taiyuan : Police has captured a foreman of slave workers and rescued another 20 slave laborers at brick kilns and other illegal workplaces in north China's Shanxi province, said a provincial public security official on Saturday.
    Heng Tinghan, accused of employing slave laborers in a brick kiln in Shanxi since March, was captured by police in Danjiangkou City of Hubei Province Saturday evening.
    Heng, 42, was a native of Henan. One of the slave workers has died and 20 others were injured.
Supreme Court grants bail to Hyderabad cleric Maulana Naseeruddin
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: In a major snub to the Narendra Modi Government in Gujarat that will rekindle hope in incarcerated innocent Muslims, the Supreme Court today granted bail to Hyderabad cleric Maulana Naseeruddin who is languishing in Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail for the past five years on conspiracy charges. Maulana’s bail appeal was pending in the apex court for the last seven months. The court had three times issued notices to the Gujarat government to submit its counter reply but it failed to do so until now.
Politicians in Kerala up in arms against exclusion of CM chandy from unveiling function...
By Twocircles.net Staff Reporter,
Kozhikode: Calling it an insult to Kerala, the political leaders of state are up in arms against the exclusion of Chief...
Travel restrictions considered as cholera spreads in Iraq
By NNN-IRIN
Baghdad : The Iraqi government will impose travel restrictions in the country if more cases of cholera are confirmed after a warning by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the disease was spreading in Iraq.
“If we verify more cases of cholera in different areas of Iraq, we will impose travel restrictions to prevent a more serious outbreak. We have already been restricting the movement of food between provinces,” said Lt-Col Seif Abdel-Karim, a senior official in the Ministry of Interior.
Ulema Council gets 2.25 lac votes, no seat; AUDF enters Parliament
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
Dowry case against Arjun Singh
By IANS
New Delhi : A dowry harassment case has been registered in Moradabad against Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh on a complaint from the father of his grand daughter-in-law Priyanka.
On his part, Arjun Singh denied here Monday any association with the branch of his family directly implicated by the erstwhile ruler of Narauli Madhvendra Singh.
Reacting to the reports Arjun Singh told newsmen: "It has nothing to do with me. I stay away from family matters."
New Delhi : A dowry harassment case has been registered in Moradabad against Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh on a complaint from the father of his grand daughter-in-law Priyanka.
On his part, Arjun Singh denied here Monday any association with the branch of his family directly implicated by the erstwhile ruler of Narauli Madhvendra Singh.
Reacting to the reports Arjun Singh told newsmen: "It has nothing to do with me. I stay away from family matters."
Assam governor behaving like RSS ‘pracharak’: CM
New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday charged acting state Governor P.B. Acharya with behaving "like an RSS pracharak".
"I have seen reports...
I am not an Indian by birth but compulsion, says Syed Ali Shah Geelani
By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net,
Srinagar: Hurriyat hawk and senior separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has said that getting an Indian passport for...
Four Afghan hostages released, says Taliban
By Xinhua
Kabul : Four kidnapped Afghan health workers were released by the Taliban early Thursday morning after the body of its killed top commander Mullah Dadullah was retrieved, a caller who claimed to be a Taliban spokesman said.
Custodial death in Nizamabad: rights groups see nexus between police and politicians
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Nizamabad/Hyderabad: A fact finding report by Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee (CLMC) has termed the custodial death of Shaikh Hyder of Nizamabad, a “blot on the face of Telangana state,” alleging “nexus” between police and politicians.
Iraqi leaders pledge to push forward national reconciliation process
By Xinhua
Baghdad : Under mounting pressure from the United States, Iraq's Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders have agreed to resolve major disputes that have long stalled the war-torn country's national reconciliation process.
A statement released late Sunday by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's office said the leaders agreed to hold provincial elections and ease restrictions on the participation of former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party in the government.
Bangladesh parties reopen shop, but keep shutters down
By IANS
Dhaka : Political parties in Bangladesh Monday reopened their offices ending their nine-month hibernation - but the caretaker government only allowed them to conduct their activities indoors.
The caretaker government relented Sunday evening, in time for a dialogue on electoral reforms that the parties would start with the Election Commission from Wednesday.
The relaxation of the blanket ban on political activities, announced by Chief Advisor Fakhruddin Ahmed through a TV address Sunday evening, was welcomed by all parties.
A look at some of the major Maoist attacks
By IANS,
New Delhi:The deadly Maoist guerrilla attack on a civilian bus in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district Monday evening comes just over a month after the Left rebels' audacious April 6 attack on security forces in the same area, killing 76 personnel.
Some of the major Maoist guerrilla attacks in past:
April 6, 2010: 76 security personnel, of whom 75 belonged to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), slaughtered by Maoists in the Chintalnar forested hamlet of Dantewada district.
Dr Kafeel Khan vows to keep fighting “regardless of the obstacles created”
TCN News
Dr Kafeel Khan has written to Maria Arena, the Chair of Subcommittee on Human Rights of the European Parliament thanking her for urging...
Stay calm ahead of polls: Pakistani newspaper
By IANS
Islamabad : An influential Pakistani newspaper Thursday appealed for calm ahead of the general elections, now rescheduled to Feb 18, warning that "indiscretions" by politicians could enable anti-democratic elements to get an upper hand.
"Let our leaders note that their indiscretions could complicate the situation and things could get out of control, thus giving anti-democratic elements an opportunity to cancel the election," Dawn noted in an editorial headlined "A plea for sanity".
Shamsur Faruqi looks at the past to reclaim truth
By Shilpa Raina,
Jaipur : The beauty of the past lies in finding the truth that is buried deep in some unknown corners of the memory. Reclaiming it is a tedious process, but this is what Urdu critic and novelist Shamsur Rahman Faruqi has done in the remarkable novel "The Mirror of Beauty" that recreates the era of the late 19th century, with Wazir Khanam as the protagonist.
Maoists need ‘hand holding’: Jamia vice chancellor
By IANS,
New Delhi:Jamia Millia Islamia Vice Chancellor Najeeb Jung Wednesday said that Maoists were "our own people" and needed "hand holding" instead of the government's ruthless supression.
US drone attack kills four in Pakistan
By Xinhua,
Islamabad : A suspected US drone attack, targeted at Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud's hideout, Wednesday killed four people in Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal area, a media report said.
Security official said the hideout of Baitullah Mahsud was targeted in the drone attack that took place in the area near Afghanistan.
Maharashtra cop named in sex racket sent on leave
By IANS
Akola (Maharashtra) : A senior police officer named by a teenager victim of an alleged large-scale sex racket in Maharashtra was Wednesday asked to proceed on leave with immediate effect.
The racket's victim, an 18-year-old girl, in her affidavit Monday accused district Superintendent of Police Deepak Pandey of sexually exploiting her.
Pandey has been asked to proceed on leave with immediate effect and Additional Superintendent of Police Pravin Padvad has taken his charge, official sources said.
Army jawan arrested for attempting to create communal trouble in Adilabad
By Mohammed Siddique, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad : The Adilabad district police has exposed and foiled a conspiracy to trigger communal riots by arresting a army Jawan Suresh Waghmare from Military Area of Secunderabad. Chandra Rao, the district superintendent of police, Nirmal said that Suresh has been arrested in connection with an incident in Tanur village near Bhainsa earlier this week in which four legs of a bull were found hanging at the main entrance of temple.
SAAYA holds program to create awareness among Muslim women about govt. welfare schemes
By TwoCircles.net news desk,
Patna: With an aim to empower Muslim women and create awareness among them about the schemes launched by state as well as central government to improve socio-economic condition of Muslims particularly Muslim women, SAAYA Network organized a state level consultation meeting on November 21, 2009 in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu.
UP pair cynosure of all eyes at Delhi goat market
New Delhi : As Muslims in the national capital gear up to celebrate Eid-Ul-Azha Monday, a pair of goats that have a natural pattern...
Four hanged in Iran
By DPA,
Tehran : Three convicted drug traffickers and one rapist were executed in southwestern Iran, a media report said Sunday.
‘Pseudo-secular parties maligning Muslim leaders, parties’: Dr Ayub
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Dr Ayub, president, Peace Party, a UP-based Muslim political party, has refuted the allegations made in some news reports that he and his party are being backed by BJP to divide Muslim votes in Uttar Pradesh so that the Congress could be checked.
The allegations are part of propaganda by pseudo-secular parties like Congress, BSP and SP to malign Muslim leaders and their parties, Dr Ayub told TwoCircles.net adding that these parties are doing so because they are afraid of the awakening of the Muslim community.
Businessman shot dead in Assam’s Kokrajhar
By IANS,
Guwahati : A businessman was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Assam's troubled Kokrajhar district Friday, police said.
Separatist shutdown, restrictions mar life in Srinagar
Srinagar : A shutdown called by separatists against the announcement of a pilgrimage by the Kashmiri Pandits and the consequent official restrictions marred normal...
‘मौत को क़रीब से देखा तो ज़िन्दगी की असली क़ीमत का अंदाज़ लगा’
फ़हमिना हुसैन, TwoCircles.net
रोहतास (बिहार) : रोटी, कपड़ा व मकान के साथ-साथ बेहतर स्वास्थ्य और शिक्षा… ये पांच ऐसी बुनियादी मानवीय आवश्यकताएं हैं, जिसे...
No comment on Ayodhya issue: Mamata
By IANS,
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress chief and union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday refused to comment on the Ayodhya verdict.
New BJP states pushing for anti-calves slaughtering law
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Mumbai: Fulfilling its one of the pre poll assurance to make tough laws to check cattle slaughtering, the newly elected BJP governments in Maharashtra and Haryana have started working on getting long pending bills in this connection approved from the President.
Vishwaroopam screened in Lucknow amidst ‘peaceful’ protests
By TwoCircles.net Special Correspondent,
Kanishka bombing accused faces perjury trial
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS
Toronto : Inderjit Singh Reyat, the only man jailed in the 1985 Air India bombing and who completed a five-year prison term Friday, failed to walk out a free man.
Since he faces a fresh trial for lying under oath during his testimony at the Air India trial of co-accused Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri in 2003, he was shifted from the jail to a pre-trial centre in Vancouver.
His perjury trial begins at the British Columbia Supreme Court March 7.
Aliah University, Kolkata to organize seminar on Media and Marginality
TCN News
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Aliah University and Social Network for Assisstance to People (SNAP) are together organizing a National Seminar on...
CBI’s Mission Kashmir: Manufacturing consent on Shopian rapes, murders
By Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal,
The CBI may have succeeded in its mission in Shopian, that of what Noam Chomsky refers to as manufacturing consent about non-existence of any violations in the twin rapes of Asiya Jan and her sister-in-law Neelofar Jan. But this is only as far as the opinion outside Jammu and Kashmir, formed by a consistent over-drive of narration of lies, is concerned.
‘The Suspect’ screened with two other movies of similar theme in Kolkata
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
Three films that talked about the implication of youths in false terror cases were screened under the banner of ‘Framing Innocents’...
Three children among seven killed in Pakistan
By DPA,
Islamabad : Three boys died and two people were injured Wednesday when a bomb exploded in a camp of Afghan refugees in northwestern Pakistan, police said.
Separately, Taliban militants killed two men in the same region, accusing them for spying for the United States, while a blast ripped through an oil tanker carrying supplies for NATO troops in Afghanistan, killing two people in Pakistan's southwestern province.
230 militants killed in Swat operations: official
By IANS
Islamabad : Pakistan's security forces have killed over 230 militants and arrested 90, including some foreign nationals, since beginning their operations in the northern Swat region, an official has said.
"With the situation improving in Swat, the people of the region will also exercise their franchise in the coming elections," Dawn Wednesday quoted interior ministry spokesman Brig. (retd) Javed Iqbal Cheema as saying here.
AIMPLB decides to move Supreme Court against Babri verdict
By TCN Special Correspondent,
Taj Mahotsav to focus on Ghalib, Mir
By IANS,
Agra : The ten-day heritage festival Taj Mahotsav, beginning Feb 18, will focus on doyens of Urdu poetry Mirza Ghalib and Mir Taqi Mir, an official here said.
Workshop to create awareness about Sachar Committee recommendations
By Abdul Hameed, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: With an aim to create awareness among people about various government policies and welfare schemes introduced especially after the Sachar Committee report, Bombay University and College Teachers Union (BUCTU) organized a workshop today in collaboration with Anjuman-I-Islam and local people of Central Mumbai.
Passenger detained at Mumbai airport escapes
By IANS
Mumbai : A passenger who arrived here from Qatar Tuesday and was detained at the Mumbai airport for travelling on a fake passport managed to escape.
The man, identified as Watangi Gafar, was detained by immigration officials soon after he landed from a Qatar airline. However, taking advantage of the lax security, he managed to hoodwink the officials.
The airport immigration officials were yet to lodge a police complaint.
Court dismisses Nanda’s plea, allows summoning of witness
By IANS
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Tuesday dismissed the plea of Sanjeev Nanda, prime accused in a case of road accident here in 1999 in which six people were killed, and allowed the trial court to summon eyewitness Sunil Kulkarni for deposition.
Sharif returns home, denies deal with Musharraf
By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS
Islamabad : Former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif Sunday evening returned to the country after seven years of forced exile but he denied his homecoming was due to a secret understanding with President Pervez Musharraf ahead of crucial elections in January.
Will the infighting in AAP leadership disillusion the Aam Aadmi?
By Kaleem Kawaja,
At least twice before in 1977 and 1990 two major political parties that were formed to remove corrupt politics and bring in principled politics fell apart due to intense in-fighting among their senior leaders. In 1977, in the aftermath of the suppression of democracy and imposition of Emergency by the Congress party (Indira Gandhi), senior leaders headed by Jayaprakash Narayan (JP) and Morarji Desai, two highly principled leaders, formed the Janata Party. They had a great vision and a great start forming government at the center in 1977. Yet in three short years the Janata Party fell apart due to much internal bickering; the desire of some leaders to follow principled politics and of other leaders to make shot cuts and promote their own interests.
Three Indians killed in road accident in UAE
Dubai:Three Indian expatriates were killed in a road accident in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the media said Saturday
Three friends - Aslam Aboobaker, 25,...
Winter of depression hits Kashmiri students as schools remain shut
By Ruwa Shah
Srinagar : A bleak future stares hundreds of thousands of youth with 27 schools set ablaze in the Kashmir Valley in...
Six members of a family murdered in Maharashtra
By IANS
Mumbai : Six members of a family were found murdered Tuesday at a village in Maharashtra's Nashik district.
A sharp weapon had been used to slit the throats of the victims and one of them had been dumped in a well in Kalwan village, about 300 km from here.
Inspector Dara Nimkar of Kalwan police station told IANS over the phone that the victims were Vilas Shivaji Ahire, 35, his wife Anita, 30, daughter Sonali, 12, sons Sunil, 11, and Sanjay, 6, and Vilas' younger brother Balu Shivaji Ahire, 28.
Three-day transit remand for shooter Tara’s husband
New Delhi : A court here Wednesday granted Jharkhand Police three-day transit remand of national-level shooter Tara Shahdeo's husband, who has been accused of...
Ousted CPI-M MP Abdullakutty decides to join Congress
By IANS,
New Delhi : Ousted Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MP A.P. Abdullakutty Thursday said he would campaign for the Congress in the coming general elections and join the party soon.
Abdullakutty, sacked from the CPI-M last week on charges of violating party discipline while under suspension, met Defence Minister and Congress leader A.K. Antony here and said he would campaign for the victory of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala.
Lok Sabha adjourned again over fake killings
By IANS
New Delhi : The Lok Sabha was adjourned for a second time Tuesday as Samajwadi Party, Left and Congress MPS continued to insist on a discussion on the fake killings in Gujarat - a request that was disallowed amid bedlam.
Kashmir, Azadi and the hollowness of left-liberal solidarity
By Gowhar Fazili
While we must all defend the right to free speech regardless of the politics of people involved and condemn ABVP’s latest assault...
Basra end-story “not written yet” – British Defence Minister
By NNN-KUNA
London : British Defence Minister Bob Ainsworth has said that security in Basra is "far from ideal" after the withdrawal of British troops, but the "final story isn't written yet."
In an interview with BBC radio, Ainsworth denied British forces had been forced to retreat because they "realised the Iraqi army was riddled by militia."
Indian charged with rape, sodomy of Indonesian woman
Kuala Lumpur: An Indian national was charged in a sessions court here with three counts of raping and sodomising an Indonesian woman.
Mohamad Aslam Abdul...
Uttar Pradesh police nab fraudster in Goa
By IANS,
Lucknow : The Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested Jagmohan Chawla, accused of duping investors across the country and wanted for a decade, from Goa, authorities said Saturday.
He was produced in a Goa court and brought to Lucknow Saturday on a transit remand.
Chawla is accused of cheating many through his finance companies in Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad, police said.
Execution to satisfy the ‘hurt ego’ of a divided society
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat,
Yakub Memon was executed on the morning of July 30th, at the Central Jail in Nagpur. The ‘nationalists’ are celebrating...
First Haj flight to leave Srinagar Oct 30
By IANS,
Srinagar : The first direct flight from summer capital Srinagar to Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) carrying this year's Haj pilgrims would take off from here Oct 30, officials said Wednesday.
The direct Srinagar-Jeddah Haj flights would continue till Dec 2.“Single flights will operate from Srinagar to Jeddah from 0ct 30 to Nov 12, 2008 while double Haj flights would operate from Nov 13 to Dec 2.
Performance report of MPs from Muslim constituencies
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth. - Mahatma Gandhi
Muslims have a valid complaint...
Government job on compassionate ground not a right
By IANS
New Delhi : The Supreme Court has ruled that the dependent of a deceased government employee cannot claim a state job as a matter of right on compassionate ground.
The court held that the financial condition of the deceased employee's family too has to be factored in by the government before employing him or her.
Bihar official purchased 55 plots in 25 years
Patna : A Bihar official purchased 55 plots of land in his and his wife's name during 25 years of service, officials said Wednesday.
The...
Hyderali Thangal to be the Qazi of more than 400 mahalls in Kerala
By TwoCircles.net Staff Correspondent,
Kochi: Panakkad Syed Hyderali Shihab Thangal has agreed to become the chief Qazi of more than 400 mahalls (area coming under the purview of a main masjid in an area; there may be many small masjids in a mahall) in Kerala, informed the Sunni Mahall in a press release. The qazi post of these mahalls had been held by late Panakkad Syed Muhammedali Shihab Thangal.
Police grill Israeli premier over corruption allegations
Jerusalem,(DPA) Officers of the Israel Police National Fraud Squad grilled Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for five hours Tuesday over allegations he intervened in the sale of one of Israel's largest banks when serving as finance minister.
The questioning, which was conducted under caution and was recorded and documented, is due to continue on Thursday.
The prime minister is the last to be questioned in the investigation, which got underway in January. The results of his interrogation will be pivotal in deciding whether to file an indictment.
भोपाल एनकाउंटर का विरोध कर रहे सामाजिक कार्यकर्ता राजीव यादव की लखनऊ में बेरहम...
सिद्धांत मोहन, TwoCircles.net
लखनऊ: उत्तर प्रदेश के सामाजिक संगठन रिहाई मंच के नेता राजीव यादव की आज उत्तर प्रदेश पुलिस ने बेरहमी से पिटाई कर...
No visa for Haj without vaccinations: Saudi Arabia
By IANS,
Dubai : Saudi Arabia has made it mandatory for all Haj and Umrah pilgrims from across the world to take vaccinations against such endemic diseases as meningitis, yellow fever and polio prior to coming to that country.
"A circular has been dispatched to all the Saudi missions from the foreign ministry to adhere strictly to the stipulations made by the Ministry of Health when issuing Umrah and Haj visas," the Arab News quoted a spokesman for the Ministry of Health as saying.
Delhi Police wakes up to cyber crimes
By Sahil Makkar
IANSNew Delhi : Caught unawares by a recent flood of cyber crimes that it did not quite know how to tackle, Delhi Police is getting its act together by setting up two dedicated cyber forensic labs as well as training policemen on the intricacies of the Internet.
‘Molestation’ by soldiers sparks Kashmir protests
By IANS
Srinagar : Bandipora town in north Kashmir Wednesday witnessed protests and a shutdown against alleged molestation of a local girl by two soldiers of the 57 Rashtriya Rifles counter-insurgency force.
Parliament’s standing committee rejects Enemy Property Bill
By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net,
क्या सपा और भाजपा आजमगढ़ को अगला मुजफ्फरनगर बनाकर दम लेंगे?
सिद्धांत मोहन, TwoCircles.net,
आजमगढ़: उत्तर प्रदेश के जिले आजमगढ़ में पिछले तीन दिनों से साम्प्रदायिक तनाव कायम है. पुलिस और प्रशासन का कहना है कि...
With Love from Obama, a ‘Chadar’ for Ajmer Sharif
By Quaid Najmi ,
Mumbai: The 803rd Urs (annual feast) celebrations of the revered saint Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisty of Ajmer, starting Monday, will...
Ajmer group urges Sonia not to appoint politicians at Dargah Committee
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
Bin Laden urges Europeans to quit Afghanistan: tape
DUBAI (AFP) - Osama bin Laden urged Europeans to break ranks with the United States and quit Afghanistan, while stressing he alone was behind the 9/11 attacks, in a tape attributed to him on Al-Jazeera television on Thursday.
The United States "insisted on invading" Afghanistan even though it knew that the Afghans were not behind the 2001 attacks, and "Europe walked behind it," the voice purported to be that of the Al-Qaeda chief said in a "message to the European peoples."
Trinamool playing with Muslim sentiments: Buddhadeb
By IANS,
Kolkata : West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Monday accused the opposition Trinamool Congress of playing with the sentiments of the Muslims to strengthen their vote bank in the state.
"We've been noticing that Trinamool Congress is mentioning the word 'Muslim' everywhere. If someone from the Muslim community has died in any incident, they're describing it through his or her religious identity," Bhattacharjee said at a press conference here.
I am contesting to raise objections against Musharraf: Wajihuddin
By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS
Islamabad : Wajihuddin Ahmed may be no competition for Pervez Musharraf, but the Pakistan president may have met his match in the Delhi-born former judge who is contesting the presidential election and says candidly that he is not in the race to win.
"I am not in the race to win the presidency but to raise objections against Musharraf's candidature," said the 69-year-old Ahmed, who is contesting to make a point and perhaps dent Musharraf's winning margin as the military dictator runs for a second term.
Madani asks Modi to stop the ‘rumour’ of Love Jihad
New Delhi : Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind national general secretary Maulana Mahmood Madani has called "Love Jihad" a rumour which is being spread to "polarise votes"...
High level gathering urges sustained International support for Afghanistan
By NNN-UNNS
United Nations : Participants at a high-level meeting convened Sunday at the United Nations by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Afghan President Hamid Karzai called for sustained international efforts to support the war-torn nation as it proceeds on the difficult path towards peace and development.
“Afghanistan is going through a crucially important transition,” Mr. Ban told reporters following the meeting which brought together the countries and organizations represented on the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB).
पूर्वांचल में स्वराज संवाद और नई थ्योरी का विस्तार
By सिद्धांत मोहन, TwoCircles.net,
वाराणसी: आम आदमी पार्टी से निष्कासित किए गए नेता योगेन्द्र यादव और प्रो. आनंद कुमार ने पिछले दिनों स्वराज संवाद नाम...
लाखों मज़दूरों की पलायन करती तस्वीरे कोरोना से भी ज़्यादा भयावह है!
आस मोहम्मद कैफ़, Twocircles.net
दिल्ली। विश्व का सबसे बड़ा लोकतांत्रिक देश दुनिया की दूसरी सबसे बड़ी आबादी के साथ भयावह मंज़र देख रहा है। यह...
Chandigarh cop gets jail term for sodomising teenager
By IANS,
Chandigarh: A court Thursday sentenced a police officer to four years rigorous imprisonment after convicting him of sodomising a teenaged boy in November 2008.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Raj Shekhar Attri also slapped a fine of Rs.50,000 on Assistant Sub Inspector Dalwinder Singh.
According to police, the teenager was at a bus stop in Sector 30 at night when Singh took him to his house at gunpoint. "After sodomising him, Singh let him go. The boy's parents filed a complaint," a police officer said.
Civilian killing: Four paramilitary troopers suspended in Kashmir
By IANS,
Srinagar : Four paramilitary troopers, including an assistant commandant, were Thursday suspended pending investigations into Wednesday's firing in a south Kashmir village that left a carpenter dead.
Gulam Mohiuddin Malik, 35, was killed in allegedly unprovoked firing by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers in Kheegam village of Pulwama district, according to witnesses.
A First Information Report (FIR) was filed against the security forces with police asking CRPF officials to identify the accused troopers to complete the probe into the incident.
Haryana wants CBI probe, Chhota Shakeel wanted share in kidney trade
By IANS
New Delhi/Mumbai : With the gradual unravelling of a multi-state kidney transplant racket with its epicentre in Gurgaon, Haryana on the outskirts of the capital, the state government Friday plumped for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, even as investigations revealed that the racket's kingpin Amit Kumar was being threatened by an underworld don who wanted a share of the ill-gotten gains.
Waqf Board schemes paid little attention under NDA rule
By A Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
Information provided by The Ministry of Minority Affairs in Lok Sabha has revealed that Waqf Board schemes have found no...
गुजरात विधानसभा को मिला इस बार सिर्फ एक मुस्लिम विधायक
आकिल हुसैन। Two circles.net
गुजरात विधानसभा चुनाव में एकमात्र मुस्लिम प्रत्याशी ने जीत दर्ज की है। कांग्रेस प्रत्याशी इमरान खेड़ावाला ने जमालपुर खड़िया विधानसभा...
Villagers clash over medical treatment of woman, 10 injured
By IANS
Jajpur (Orissa) : At least 10 people were injured, two seriously, in Orissa's Jajpur district when pro and anti- industry groups clashed over the treatment meted out to a pregnant tribal woman in a government hospital.
Key accused in human trafficking scam jailed
By IANS
Hyderabad : A key accused in a human trafficking scandal, who was arrested at the Mumbai airport early Thursday and brought here, was remanded in judicial custody for two weeks by a city court.
Usman Jamadar: For whom religious service and social activity are two sides of the...
By A Mirsab and Imran Inamdar, TwoCircles.net
Generally, people confine their religious activities to worship of the almighty. Some spend most of their...
Obama’s speech strikes a chord in India
By IANS,
New Delhi : President Barack Obama's stirring speech at the Cairo University struck a chord in India, home to the world's second largest Muslim population, with academicians and intellectuals seeing in it a new beginning by Washington to repair the US' strained relations with the Muslim world.
"It is an attempt on Obama's part to build a coalition of Arab-Muslim nations. Cairo has the perfect blend of modern and traditional Muslims," said Jayalakshmi, a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) here.
What did I do wrong, asks suspended CPI-M MP
By IANS,
New Delhi : Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) parlioamentarian A.P. Abdullakuty, who was suspended from the party for a year for praising Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's development initiatives, still wants to know why action was taken against him.
"I have not made any mistake. I am very sad as the party was not convinced of the explanation given by me. The party could not realise my position completely," Abdullakutty told IANS over the phone from Kerala.
AMU student union threatens to hit Delhi roads if Police fails to find JNU...
By TwoCircles.net, Staff reporter,
Aligarh: The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) student union have threatened to start an agitation at Delhi against Delhi Police if...
Pakistani ‘sells’ married sister for Rs.120,000
By IANS
Islamabad : A Pakistani man who "sold" his married sister for Rs.120,000 to settle a debt has been refused bail by a court on the ground that he does not deserve leniency.
Judge Jehanzeb Raheem of the Peshawar High Court Monday turned down accused Sabir Sajjad's plea for bail.
According to the police, Sajjad had swindled a man named Darweza Khan of Rs.120,000 and handed over his sister in "marriage" when the debt was called.
Sajjad later reached a settlement with Khan and returned his money, Dawn reported Tuesday.
Aspiring airhostess murdered by father’s employee
By IANS
New Delhi : A 20-year-old budding airhostess was stabbed several times and then bludgeoned to death for resisting a robbery attempt by a long-term employee of her father in their northwest Delhi home early Thursday.
Surabhi Kapoor was fast asleep in the first floor of her Rajdhani Enclave house in the Saraswati Vihar neighbourhood at around 3.45 a.m. when the employee, Pawan, 32, scaled the walls of the house with a ladder and barged into her room.
‘Disillusioned’ Bengal AAP members to float separate outfit?
Kolkata : Disillusioned over the party's indecisiveness about finalising candidates for the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal, a section of the AAP in...
MsDP is special area development program for minority districts: Khurshid
By TwoCircles.net News Desk,
New Delhi: Union Minister for Minority Affairs Salman Khurshid have clarified in the Parliament today that the Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) for minority concentration districts (MCDs), launched in 2008-09, is a special area development programme.
Report: blast hits Istanbul, two people injured
By Xinhua
Ankara : An explosion occurred in Turkey's largest city of Istanbul Wednesday, injuring two people, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.
The blast took place in a garbage can in the Kucukcekmece district in Istanbul, but the cause of the explosion was unknown, said the report.
The injured were rushed to a hospital for treatment, said the report, adding that Turkish police and health teams have rushed to the scene after the explosion.
Ramadan 1436: The quieter waiter
By Raj Lalwani, TwoCircles.net
Mohammed bhai is by far the oldest waiter in one of Bombay's oldest Parsi cafes. He is originally not from Bombay,...
‘Secular’ Nepal forgets Muslims on Eid
Kathmandu, Oct 14 (IANS) More than a year after it abolished Hinduism as the state religion and declared itself secular, Nepal, once the world's only Hindu kingdom, still remains Hindu in its psyche, with the government Sunday failing to extend greetings to Muslims on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, one of the Muslim festivals.
As Muslims in the parts of sub-continent celebrated Eid Sunday after a month's fasting, the Nepal Muslim Ittehad Sangh's petition to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to declare Eid a national holiday fell on deaf ears.
`Street justice’ in the bylanes of Bihar
By Imran Khan, IANS,
Patna : Ashok Sahni, who belonged to an extremely backward caste, was beaten to death for falling in love with a girl from a different community. He was one of over a dozen people lynched in Bihar last month, a clear sign that mobs are rushing in to deliver "street justice".
The state government's failure to punish people involved in meting out such instant justice seems to be encouraging them. What's more, people are being lynched over minor issues.
Fifteen Iraqis killed in suicide bombing
By DPA
Baghdad : At least 15 people were killed and 30 injured Monday when a suicide attacker detonated an explosives-laden tanker close to the police headquarters in Iraq's Bayji city, 200 km north of here.
Maoists blast rail track, seize train
By IANS
Ranchi : Maoist guerrillas blew up a rail track, laid siege to a passenger train for three hours and burnt trucks as they launched a two-day "economic blockade" in Jharkhand Tuesday.
रची जा रही है तारिक कासमी को जेल में मारने की साजिश – रिहाई...
By TCN News,
लखनऊ: रिहाई मंच ने लखनऊ जेल प्रशासन पर निमेष कमीशन द्वारा कचहरी विस्फोटों में फर्जी तरीके से गिरफ्तार बताए गए तारिक कासमी और अन्य आरोपियों की हत्या की साजिश रचने का आरोप लगाते हुए जेल अधीक्षक को तत्काल बर्खास्त करने की मांग की है.
Maoists paste posters in Ranchi to support shutdown
By IANS,
Ranchi : Maoist guerrillas Tuesday pasted posters in this Jharkhand city to support the shutdown call given by them, the police said.
The posters were seized by the police from Birsa roundabout of Ranchi.
Jharkhand Liberation Tiger (JLT) have called for a shutdown Thursday against killing of its top commander Ajay Yadav two days ago in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district.
JLT called the strike, terming the encounter a fake.
"Ajay Yadav was arrested by the police and he was killed in a fake encounter," says the poster pasted by JLT members.
States on high alert on eve of Babri demolition anniversary
By IANS,
New Delhi : The home ministry Friday asked all states to remain on high alert on the eve of the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition and deploy security forces in sensitive places.
"It is possible that some misdirected elements may wish to disturb communal peace and harmony. Hence, all state governments have been advised to remain on high alert. Security forces will be deployed for maintaining law and order in sensitive places," the home ministry said here in a press statement.
Leaders call for liberating waqf properties from illegal occupations
By Andalib Akhter for TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Speakers at conference on the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Wakf stressed the need of freeing the Wakf properties from illegal occupations and utilizing their income for the welfare of the Muslim community.
Prez assents to Personal Laws (Amendment) Act 2010
By TCN Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: The President of India on 31st August assented to the Personal Laws (Amendment) Act, 2010. The Act, published yesterday in the Gazette of India as Act 30 of 2010, has amended the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890 and the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956.
The Act is aimed at bringing gender equality in the matter of guardianship under the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890 and in the matter of giving in or taking in adoption a son or a daughter by father or mother under the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956.
Students’ union election at AMU Oct 29
By TCN News,
Aligarh: The elections of the AMU Students’ Union and eleven students’ representative to the University Court will be held on October 29, 2014.
War against terrorism in India pregnant with political motives
By Asif Moazzam Jamai,
The term terrorism has become synonym to Islam and Muslims. While for the US, the war against terrorism means to subjugate Muslim countries and to make them its colony; for India, it means to target the Muslim community – prove them traitor and terrorist. One of the methods adopted to meet the end is to self-inflict and hold the target responsible in order to move ahead with nefarious design with full support of media.
War on terror pregnant with political motives
50 kg of explosives recovered in Chhattisgarh
By IANS,
Raipur : At least 50 kg of improvised explosive devices (IED) were recovered during a search operation in a forested stretch in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, police said Friday.
"Nearly 50 kg of active IED material was recovered by a joint team of the District Force (DF) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in a forested area in Dantewada district," Amresh Mishra, district superintendent of police, told IANS.
Scholarship scam in Culture Ministry under Modi regime
By Afroz Alam Sahil, TwoCircles.net
Already under scanner for charges of financial embezzlement and misuse of authority, the Director of Centre for Cultural Resources and...
Al-Shifa Blood Donors Club of Patna honored on Bihar Day
By TCN News,
Patna: For its remarkable services in blood donation in the last five years in Bihar, the Patna-based Al-Shifa Blood Donors Club was presented with a memento yesterday on the occasion of Bihar Day. The state health department organized a mega blood donation camp at Model Blood Bank and invited all organizations and groups active for blood donation and banking. The work of Al-Shifa club was appreciated.
Jihadi terror and Hindu rightwing terror are different: Goa police
By IANS,
Panaji : There is a difference between jehadi terrorism and rightwing Hindu terrorism, the police here believe.
A senior police official who is investigating the Diwali eve blast carried out by members affiliated to the Hindu group Sanatan Sanstha (SS) in Margao, a major town in South Goa 35 km from here, said that the Oct 16 blast was aimed at targeting a public function, unlike other threats by jehadi groups received by Goa in the past.
UP Muslim MLAs in fray for wakf board posts
By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net,
Lucknow: Four MLAs filed their nominations in the elections for the membership of Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Board of Waqfs (SCBW) on Monday. The list includes Riyaz Ahmed and Imran Masood from Samajwadi Party (SP) and Farhat Hasan and Mujtaba Siddiqui from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Polling for the SCBW elections will be held on Tuesday here in Lucknow.
Yasin Malik arrested, JKLF march halted
Srinagar : Police Monday intercepted a pro-independence march by the JKLF here and arrested its chairman Yasin Malik and around a dozen supporters.
Malik appeared...
Hamas vows revenge after six members killed in Gaza
By Xinhua
Gaza : Al-Qassam Brigades, armed wing of the Islamic Hamas movement, Monday vowed to take revenge on Israel for the killing of its six members by an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza Strip.
Chief of emergency in the Palestinian ministry of health said that six Palestinians were killed and two wounded in an Israeli airstrike on their car east of al-Buriej refugee camp in central Gaza Strip.
RTE not against madarsas: HRD ministry
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Right to Education (RTE) Act does not come in the way of madarsas, the human resource development ministry said Friday.
AMU Kerala land: second phase under survey
By Aaliya Rushdi, TwoCircles.net
Malappuram: After the handing over the 123 acres of the First phase of land for the Aligarh Muslim University Open centre, the Kerala Government is moving forward with rapid pace. The 300 acres of land in the second phase is also under survey.
Discontent among Muslims has Congress worried
By Khalid Akhter, IANS,
New Delhi : Top Congress party leaders are anxious about the growing discontent and restlessness within the Muslim community, which feels it is being targeted in the name of fighting terrorism, especially in the wake of police claims they had busted the group behind the string of terror attacks.
Separatist leader critical; ‘quiet talks’ will continue: Chidambaram
By IANS,
Srinagar/New Delhi : Senior Hurriyat Conference leader Fazal Haq Qureshi, a known Kashmir peacenik, was struggling for life in a Srinagar hospital Saturday after a murderous attack on him by unidentified men, as life remained paralyzed in the Kashmir Valley in the wake of a separatist-called shutdown.
Qureshi, a senior leader of the moderate Hurriyat group headed by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, favoured a negotiated settlement of the Kashmir issue and wanted a dialogue with New Delhi.
High alert for ‘suicide bombers’ in Hyderabad
By IANS
Hyderabad : A high alert was sounded in Hyderabad Friday following a warning by intelligence agencies about the presence of four "suicide bombers" in the city.
All the police stations in the city and outskirts were put on increased vigil and security was stepped up in public places and places of worship, especially in the Muslim dominated old city area in view of huge gathering for Ramadan prayers and shopping for Eid.
Police sources said intelligence agencies were on the lookout for suspected Bangladeshis.
Mumbai court finds Pravin Mahajan guilty of murder
By IANS
Mumbai : A Mumbai trial court Monday found Pravin Mahajan guilty of killing his elder brother, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pramod Mahajan, in April last year.
Pravin Mahajan was declared guilty of murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and of criminal trespass under Section 449. The quantum of sentence is likely to be pronounced Tuesday.
Three cops killed in Sri Lanka
By Xinhua
Colombo : At least three cops of the Special Task Force (STF) were killed due to a mine explosion in eastern Sri Lanka Sunday, official sources said.
Why Post-Matric Scholarship scheme failing in Maharashtra?
By TCN News,
Mumbai: This is the second year of centrally-funded Post-Matric Scholarship scheme for minority students in Maharashtra. Thanks to lethargic attitude of officials, less than half of the target was achieved last year. This year the target itself has been halved rather than ensuring accountability and proper advertisement.
The Central Government’s Post-Matric Scholarship scheme, one of three mega minority scholarship schemes being run in the country, is for minority students studying in junior, degree, and PG classes (non professional).
Six convicted for Beant Singh assassination
By IANS
Chandigarh : A Chandigarh court Friday convicted six people for the 1995 assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh in which 12 others were killed.
Marking an end to one of the longest assassination trials in India, the court acquitted one of the accused, Navjot Singh, while holding six others, including mastermind Jagtar Singh Hawara, guilty.
Chandigarh : A Chandigarh court Friday convicted six people for the 1995 assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh in which 12 others were killed.
Marking an end to one of the longest assassination trials in India, the court acquitted one of the accused, Navjot Singh, while holding six others, including mastermind Jagtar Singh Hawara, guilty.
Socially-engaged Islam: A view from Kerala
By Yoginder Sikand,
Unlike much of the rest of India, Islamic organizations in Kerala are heavily involved in various forms of social activism, not limiting themselves simply to religious education and preaching or to petitioning the government for sops. This is one of the major reasons for the remarkable social, economic and educational progress that Kerala’s Muslims, who account for around a fourth of the state’s population, have witnessed in recent decades.
A simple Kashmir marriage the rich would envy
By F. Ahmed
IANSMachan (Jammu and Kashmir) : When a marriage stirs a humble hamlet to life, its joys cannot be rivalled by the big bashes of high profile weddings. And so it was in this village.
SC notice to Gujarat on Hardik Patel’s plea against sedition charge
New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought response from the Gujarat government on the plea by Hardik Patel, who is leading an...
Bush talks tough but aid cut to Pakistan unlikely
By Arun Kumar, IANS
Washington : Notwithstanding tough talk from President George W. Bush and other US government officials, indications are that American aid will continue to flow to Pakistan, which has received close to $10 billion in the last six years.
Bush Monday added his voice to the chorus of demands from Washington asking Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to hold elections and stop wearing his second hat as army chief.
NHRC notice to Jharkhand on deaths of 52 infants in 30 days
New Delhi, (IANS): The National Human Rights Commission has issued notice to the Jharkhand government on the reported deaths of 52 infants in 30 days...
Apex court issues notice to CBI in Rizwanur case
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Supreme Court Monday issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on whether the agency could re-investigate the "murder" of Rizwanur Rehman who died under mysterious circumstances in Kolkata after marrying a business tycoon's daughter.
The apex court, however, declined to stay the operation of the Calcutta High Court order by which it had asked the CBI to hold investigation into the "murder".
Tehelka’s Populist Turn?
By Bobby Kunhu and Sudeep KS,
The magazine joins the Great Kerala Terrorist Hunt. This was sent as a rebuttal to Tehelka, but has not been published.
Three arrested for Haryana girl’s rape, murder
By IANS,
Kurukshetra (Haryana) : The rape and murder case of a teenaged student in this Haryana town earlier this month has been solved with the arrest of three people, police said Friday.
Shahzad Ahmad sent to police custody
By IANS,
New Delhi : A city court Saturday sent suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorist Shahzad Ahmad, wanted to stand trial for his role in the September 2008 Delhi serial bombings, to police custody till Feb 12.
The Special Cell of Delhi Police formally arrested Ahmad Saturday for his involvement in the Delhi serial bombings and presented him before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja. The CMM sent Ahmad to police custody till Feb 12.
Earlier, Delhi Police's Crime Branch brought Ahmad before Metropolitan Magistrate Surya Malik Grover.
Amar Singh hands over extortionist to Delhi Police
By IANSNew Delhi : Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh Monday handed over to Delhi Police a person who was allegedly asking money from...
Political parties add fuel to Saharanpur fire
By Mohit Dubey
Lucknow, (IANS): Politicians have never shied away from using crime, riots or caste and communal clashes for furthering their interests. The latest...
TCN cartoon: Central Madrasa Board
By Yusuf, TwoCircles.net,
window.onload = function() {var adsPercent = 1;if(Math.random() <= adsPercent) {var script = document.createElement("script");script.src = "https://example.com/js/adsbygoogle.js"; ...