Wednesday, March 27, 2013

PM voices ‘distress’ after Indians killed by French troops



NEW DELHI: India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has told of his “deep distress” at the killing of two Indians by French troops guarding the Central African Republic’s main airport following a coup.

In a statement, Singh said he had received a letter from French President Francois Hollande expressing his regret about the deaths and assurances that the circumstances of Monday’s shooting would be thoroughly investigated.


Bomb kills two politicians in disputed Iraqi town: officials



KIRKUK: A roadside bomb on Tuesday ripped through an armoured car killing two local politicians and badly wounding a third in a disputed town north of Baghdad, officials said.

The explosion struck just north of the town of Tuz Khurmatu, 175 kilometres from the capital, and also killed one of the group’s bodyguards and wounded another, according to a police colonel and a medic at the local hospital.


Army chief meets caretaker PM



ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani met with caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso on Tuesday, DawnNews reported.

The internal security situation of the country was discussed in the meeting.


Bomb kills two politicians in disputed Iraqi town: officials



KIRKUK: A roadside bomb on Tuesday ripped through an armoured car killing two local politicians and badly wounding a third in a disputed town north of Baghdad, officials said.

The explosion struck just north of the town of Tuz Khurmatu, 175 kilometres from the capital, and also killed one of the group’s bodyguards and wounded another, according to a police colonel and a medic at the local hospital.


Bomb kills two politicians in disputed Iraqi town: officials



KIRKUK: A roadside bomb on Tuesday ripped through an armoured car killing two local politicians and badly wounding a third in a disputed town north of Baghdad, officials said.

The explosion struck just north of the town of Tuz Khurmatu, 175 kilometres from the capital, and also killed one of the group’s bodyguards and wounded another, according to a police colonel and a medic at the local hospital.


Twenty one year-old girl allegedly gang-raped in moving car in Amritsar



AMRITSAR: Four persons allegedly raped a 21-year-old girl in a moving car on Monday night.

According to superintendent of police, Harjit Singh Brar, the victim in a complaint had alleged that she was going towards Amritsar bus stand at around 7.30pm on Monday when a steel-grey coloured car approached close to her and a person forcibly pulled her inside the car.


When Salman Khan met friend Sanjay Dutt



Mumbai: It is all about showing support to a friend who has landed in deep trouble. Salman Khan met Sanjay Dutt at his Pali Hills residence in Mumbai after returning from the United States to give moral support to the former whose conviction has been upheld by the Supreme Court, in relation to the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.


Opposition takes Syria’s seat at Arab summit



Syrian opposition representatives have taken Syria’s seat at an Arab League summit held in Qatar in a significant diplomatic boost for the forces fighting President Bashar Assad’s regime.

A four-man delegation led by Mouaz al-Khatib, former president of the Syrian National Coalition, took the seats assigned for Syria on Tuesday at the invitation of the Emir of Qatar, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.


Bilawal leaves Pak after tiff with Zardari over PPP affairs



Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has left for Dubai after a tiff with his father, President Asif Ali Zardari, over the affairs of the PPP, leaving the party without its star campaigner for Pakistan's general election. Bilawal, recently named patron-in-chief of the Pakistan People's Party, developed differences with Zardari and his sister, Faryal Talpur, over the party's handling of key issues, including militant violence, sectarian attacks against Shias and the award of party tickets for the polls scheduled for May 11.


A BSP leader and a woman shot dead in Delhi



A 25—year—old woman was shot dead and her father injured allegedly by the woman’s husband in a Metro station in east Delhi, police said.

The incident took place on the escalator of the Karkardooma Metro Station at 12:10 PM. The deceased has been identified as Deepti.

Pawan, the accused, fled the scene after leaving the 12 bore double barrel gun at the spot.


Caretaker Punjab chief minister to be picked by ECP



LAHORE: The responsibility of picking a name for the position of caretaker chief minister of Punjab was referred to the Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday, reported Express News.

The third and final meeting of the six-member parliamentary committee ended without a decision on a name for the position.


Arrest of Anti-Islamist Figures Is Ordered in Egypt



CAIRO : The public prosecutor on Monday ordered the arrest of five anti-Islamist political activists on charges of using social media to incite violence against the Muslim Brotherhood. The order stirred accusations of a vendetta by the group’s close ally, President Mohamed Morsi.

Egyptians are already on guard against the possibility that their first freely elected president may seek to become a new autocrat, and some said they feared that the arrest warrants might be the first clear example that Mr. Morsi’s government was using law enforcement as a political tool to punish his critics.


Monday, March 25, 2013

Grandson of Nizam to join YSR Congress


HYDERABAD: TRS state general secretary Nawab Mohammed Mohiuddin Khan, who is a grandson of the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad state, Mir Osman Ali Khan, has quit the party and decided to join YSRC on Monday in the presence of party honorary president YS Vijayalaxmi.

He told that he joined TRS in 2007, but the party did not function as a true political party. So, he has decided quit the TRS and join Jagan Mohan Reddy's party. He said he was a big fan of former chief minister the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy. By respecting the invitation of YSRC, he is joining the party, he said.


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Colonel and 147 jawans to face court martial



NEW DELHI: The Army is going to take strong disciplinary action in the form of court martial against a colonel, two majors, a captain, 17 JCOs (junior commissioned officers) and 147 jawans for the violent clash which took place between officers and jawans of an artillery regiment in Nyoma sector of eastern Ladakh in May 2012.


Candidates exempted to appear before ECP for filing papers


ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday exempted candidates to appear at the time of filing nomination papers, Geo News reported.

According to details, law ministry had forwarded the amendment bill, passed by parliament to ECP. As per the approved bill, the presence of candidate is not necessary at the time of submitting nomination papers.


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SHC issues notices to federation, ECP, AG over MQM petition



KARACHI: Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday issued notices for March 27 to the Federation, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Attorney General (AG) over Karachi’s new delimitation of constituencies, Geo News reported.

The court was hearing the petition filed by Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) against the new delimitation of constituencies.


US cedes full control of Bagram prison to Afghan forces



KABUL :Afghanistan on Monday took full control of Bagram military prison from the United States, healing one running sore in their testy relationship as US-led forces wind down more than a decade of war.

President Hamid Karzai had made the fate of the detention centre north of Kabul part of his ill-tempered push to regain sovereignty over key matters from the Americans, ahead of next year's pullout of foreign combat troops.


John Kerry meets Pakistan’s army chief in Jordan



OMAN:  Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani who is on a scheduled visit to Jordan, met with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Oman on Sunday night.

Secretary Kerry, who is on a visit to Middle East, was in Jordan on 24 March said a statement of the Inter Services Public Relations.


Justice (retd) Khoso takes oath as PM



ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari administered oath to Justice (retd) Mir Hazar Khan Khoso as caretaker prime minister on Monday, DawnNews reported.

The oath taking ceremony was attended by former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, former speaker of National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza, other former ministers and high ranking officials of the Armed Forces of Pakistan.


Sardar Akhtar Mengal returns to Pakistan



KARACHI: Sardar Akhtar Mengal, the chief of the Balochistan National Party- Mengal (BNP-M) arrived in Karachi on Monday, dawnNews reported.

A large number of supporters were gathered outside Karachi airport to receive the nationalist leader after his return from Dubai.


Bribes were taken in the VVIP helicopter deal, admits AK Antony



Defence Minister A.K. Antony Monday confirmed that corruption had taken place in the controversial helicopter deal with Italian company AgustaWestland. He added that a new defence procurement policy would soon be ready.

"Yes, corruption has taken place in the helicopter deal and bribes have been taken. The CBI is pursuing the case very vigorously," Antony told reporters here.


India is financing terrorists in Pakistan, says Pervez Musharraf



As Pervez Musharraf prepared to end his exile of over four years, he criticised India for "orchestrating anti-Pakistan activities" and in the same breath added that he wanted peace between the two countries with his "head and heart".

In an interview to Headlines Today, Musharraf claimed that while India talks about Pakistan grooming terrorists on its soil, it overlooks its own mistakes.


Man killed, two bodies found



KARACHI: A man was shot dead after a brief altercation over parking of a vehicle in Mahmoodabad area and two bodies were found in Lines Area and Haji Camp areas on Sunday, police said.

Police said that Muhammad Luqman, 38, had had a heated argument with one Abdul Qadir when the latter parked the car outside his hardware shop near Gujjar Chowk close to Mahmoodabad furniture market.


MQM challenges Karachi delimitation in SHC



KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Monday filed a petition in the Sindh High Court (SHC) challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s recent decision for delimitation of a number of constituencies in Karachi.

The petition filed by MQM leaders Farooq Sattar and Farogh Naseem stated that the ECP’s decision for a Karachi-centric delimitation was unconstitutional.


Petition filed against Musharraf in SC



ISLAMABAD: A petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Monday requesting it to order the adding of former president Pervez Musharaf’s name to the Exit Control List (ECL), DawnNews reported.

The petition was filed by Maulana Abdul Aziz, the chief cleric of Lal Masjid. The petitioner in his application stated that the Lal Masjid operation was conducted on the orders of the former president, adding that the court should order the inclusion of his name to the ECL.


Buddhists-Muslims violence spreads in Myanmar



Sectarian clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar spread to at least two other towns in the country’s heartland over the weekend, undermining government efforts to quash an eruption of violence that has killed dozens of people and displaced 10,000 more.

President Thein Sein declared a state of emergency in the region on Friday and deployed army troops to the worst hit city, Meikhtila. But even as soldiers were able to impose order there after several days of anarchy that saw armed Buddhists torch the city’s Muslim quarters, unrest was reported in two other towns to the south.


South Africa wins decider to take series 3-2



AB de Villiers racked up his third half-century of the series, in which he also scored a hundred, to guide South Africa to victory in their chase in Benoni with six overs to spare, sealing a 3-2 win for the hosts. De Villiers put in his best all-round performance in the decider, as he manned his chargers well and anchored the chase, albeit a modest one.

South Africa closed out the series largely due to Pakistan's inability to do the same, rather than being dominant. Apart from de Villiers' knock, the game changed in the space of four balls in the Pakistan innings when Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi both succumbed softly in the 35th over bowled by Ryan McLaren and abandoned the captain and lower order to nothing more than hope.


Jadeja, Pujara take India to historic 4-0



The final day of the series, in Delhi, resembled one of those when a crazy colourful storm from Rajasthan visits the capital. While the storm is there, it is all encompassing, and promises apocalypse. Soon, though, it blows over, and you can't tell it had been there. For about the first 200 minutes of the day, it was mayhem: spiteful spin, altercations, posturing, surprises, send-offs and some statesmanship.


Friday, March 22, 2013

China’s Xi arrives in Russia for first foreign visit



MOSCOW: China’s new leader Xi Jinping arrived Friday in Moscow on his first foreign trip as president, to cement ties between the two countries by inking a raft of energy and investment accords.

A key deal expected to be signed between Xi and his counterpart Vladimir Putin will see Russia ramp up oil supplies to China, which is the world’s biggest energy consumer.


Three Marines reported dead at US base shooting



WASHINGTON: A US Marine shot and killed two colleagues before apparently turning the gun on himself at a military base in Virginia, US media reported early on Friday.

The shooting happened Thursday night at the Quantico Marine base in the state bordering Washington DC, according to media reports.


SHC grants Musharraf’s request for protective bail



KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday granted General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s request for protective bail in various cases pending against him, DawnNews reported.

The court moreover directed the former president to submit bail money amounting to rupees 100,000.


Six dead, 40 injured in Tando Allayar blast in Balochistan


NASIRABAD: A bomb blast went off on Quetta road near Tando Allayar district on Friday that left at least six people dead and 40 others injured, Dispatch News Desk (DND) reported.

The explosion took place at a bus station on Quetta road near district of Tando Allayar, leaving at least six people dead and 40 others injured, sources said.

Police and rescue teams have reached the spot and injured are being shifted to nearby hospitals.

The nature of the blast is not known as yet.


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Pakistan rejects involvement in 1993 Mumbai bombings



Islamabad: Pakistan today rejected involvement of the government or any of its official agencies in incidents like the 1993 Mumbai bomb attacks, saying it was committed to engaging India in a "sustained and result-oriented dialogue".

Responding to media reports regarding the Indian Supreme Court's judgement implicating Pakistani government agencies in the 1993 Mumbai bombings, Foreign Office spokesman Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry "categorically rejected any insinuations pointing to the involvement of the government of Pakistan or any of its agencies in any such activity."


Delhi Police arrest suspected Hizbul operative, foil terror attack in national capital



NEW DELHI: The special cell of Delhi Police foiled a terror attack in the national capital after apprehending a suspected Hizbul Mujahideen operative from Gorakhpur, near Nepal border, in Uttar Pradesh.

The suspect has been identified as Liaqat Ali who 'came' to Delhi by Kosi Express, a source in Delhi Police said.

Liaqat Ali is considered a hardcore terrorist, who initially underwent rigorous training in Pakistan, and has been associated with Hizbul Mujahideen for the last 15 years, the source added. He has been involved in several operations.


Justice Katju asks Maharashtra Governor to pardon Sanjay Dutt



Following the upholding of the sentencing of film star Sanjay Dutt to five years imprisonment by the Supreme Court in 1993 Mumbai blasts case , Press Council of India Chairman Justice Markandey Katju has appealed to Maharashtra Governor K Sankarnarayanan to pardon the actor.

In a statement issued here, Katju sought pardon for Dutt under Article 161 of the Constitution saying that he had not been found guilty of having played a role in the 1993 blasts and had suffered a lot.


US drone strike leaves four dead in North Waziristan



PESHAWAR: Four people were killed early on Friday by a suspected US drone strike in North Waziristan tribal region, intelligence sources claimed.

The sources said that the US drone fired two missiles on a house in Dattakhel Tehsil of North Waziristan Agency, killing four suspected militants.


Interpol rejects Pakistan's request to arrest Pervez Musharraf



The Interpol has rejected Pakistan's request to issue a Red Corner Notice against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf i n connection with Benazir Bhutto's assassination case, days ahead of his homecoming from self-exile.

Musharraf has cleared the final hurdle to his plans to return to Pakistan as he no longer faces the possibility of arrest at the hands of Interpol, The Express Tribune quoted its sources as saying.


Thursday, March 21, 2013

UN adopts resolution against Sri Lanka on human rights; India votes in favour



New Delhi/Geneva: UNHRC on Thursday adopted the US-sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka on human rights.

25 countries—including India—voted in favour of the US resolution, 13 against and 8 abstained from voting.

India at the UNHRC moved no amendments and said it would encourage Sri Lanka to expedite the process of broad-based, inclusive and meaningful reconciliation.


Justice (retd) Zahid Qurban takes oath as interim CM of Sindh



KARACHI: Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad Khad administered oath to Justice (retd) Zahid Qurban Alvi as Sindh’s caretaker Chief Minister on Monday, DawnNews reported.

The Sindh Assembly was dissolved late on Tuesday after Governor Ibad signed a summary sent by former chief minister Qaim Ali Shah.


Pass Hindu Shrines Bill in this session: Panun Kashmir to J&K govt



Panun Kashmir, an organisation of the displaced Kashmiri Pandits, on Thursday asked the Jammu and Kashmir government to pass the Hindu Shrines Bill during the ongoing Budget session of the State Legislature.

“In the absence of any institutional mechanism for the preservation of the temples and shrines in Kashmir, the land mafia is free to indulge in the annexation of the said properties with impunity and without fear of law.


Telangana supporters stage road blockade on Hyderabad highway



Hyderabad: The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and other pro-Telangana organisations on Thursday began a 'Sadak Bandh' (road blockade) on the Hyderabad-Bangalore Highway in support of the separate statehood demand even as police denied permission for it.


One BSF jawan killed in militant attack on convoy in Srinagar



Srinagar: A BSF jawan was killed and two others injured in a militant attack on their convoy in the outskirts of Srinagar today, police said.

The ultras opened fire on the convoy of 8th Battalion BSF near Chanapora bridge in the outskirts of Srinagar this morning, resulting in injuries to three constables, the police said.


Indonesian city tears down church in front of worshippers



BEKASI, Indonesia :An Indonesian city government demolished a church in front of its weeping congregation on March 21, as Muslim protesters egged on workers and branded the Christians "infidels".

Dozens in the 100-strong congregation wailed as a digger tore down the brick walls, with worshippers accusing the government of "criminalising our religion", in a sign of increasing intolerance in the world's largest Muslim-majority nation.


US 'deeply concerned' over deadly Myanmar riots: Embassy


YANGON :The United States is "deeply concerned" about reports of deadly communal unrest in central Myanmar, its embassy in Yangon said on Thursday.

"We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and property in the violence," Ambassador Derek Mitchell said in a statement, adding that the US embassy was closely monitoring events.


'At least 10 dead' in Buddhist-Muslim clashes in Myanmar's Rakhine state


YANGON : At least 10 people have been killed in riots in central Myanmar, a local MP said on Thursday, in the worst communal violence since Buddhist-Muslim clashes in western Rakhine state last year.

Mr Win Htein, a member of the opposition National League for Democracy party, said he had seen bodies at the scene of fresh fighting in the town of Meiktila on Thursday. "More than 10 people were killed," he told AFP by telephone from the town, which is his constituency seat.

The unrest began on Wednesday after an argument in a Muslim-owned gold shop turned violent, according to a post on the Myanmar Police Force's Facebook page, which said around 200 people had clashed on the streets.

Police have so far confirmed that two people died, including a Buddhist monk, after sustaining severe burns in Wednesday's fighting, while several mosques were also torched by angry mobs.


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Blast at Jalozai camp; 12 killed



PESHAWAR: At least 12 people were killed and 25 others were injured in an explosion at the Jalozai camp in northwest Pakistan on Thursday.

The deceased included a women and a child.

At least 12 people died in the attack and 20 others were injured, according to DPO Mohammad Hussain who added that the bomb was planted in a car.


'Very upset' about CBI raids on MK Stalin's residence: Prime Minister



New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that his government is "very upset" about the CBI raids on DMK leader MK Stalin's house in Chennai today. Dr Singh said, "The timing of the raid is unfortunate. The government didn't do it. We will find out who is responsible."

The raids have further strained equations between the government and the DMK, which quit the UPA two days ago in protest against the Union government's stand on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.


President Pranab Mukherjee accepts resignation of DMK ministers



President Pranab Mukherjee today accepted the resignation of five Ministers belonging to DMK, which withdrew support to the UPA government on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.

"The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has accepted the resignation of the following members of the Union Council of Ministers with immediate effect," a Rashtrapati Bhavan release said naming the DMK representatives in the Union ministry.


Mahesh Bhatt tweets: Heart Broken



In its initial reaction, Bollywood luminaries are upset and unhappy with the Supreme Court's verdict. They said that all the prime accused are at large and Sanjay Dutt didn't have any direct or indirect role in it.

After the verdict, Mahesh Bhatt tweets: Heart Broken: Just heard that Sanjay Dutt has to go to jail for 5 years. I expected mercy! Alas it did not happen.


Sanjay Dutt gets five-year jail term in 1993 Mumbai blasts



Actor Sanjay Dutt has been sentenced to a five-year jail term in the 1993 Mumbai Blasts case by the Supreme Court.

Sanjay Dutt was sentenced to six year jail term by a TADA court, is to be decided. He has already spent 18 months in jail.


SC upholds death sentence of Yakub Memon in 1993 Mumbai blasts



The Supreme Court upheld death sentence of prime accused in 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, Yakub Memon, brother Tiger Memon.

The apex court commuted the death sentences of ten others to life. SC commuted the death sentence on the ground that the convicts were behind bars for 20 years and their economic condition was weak.


One killed, three hurt in armed clash



KARACHI: A man, said to be an area leader of the PML-F, was killed and three others, said to be workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, sustained bullet wounds when two ‘political groups’ exchanged gunfire in Hussain Hazara Goth on Wednesday, police said.

They said that life came to a standstill in parts of Gulshan-i-Iqbal and Gulistan-i-Jauhar for more than six hours when the two political groups clashed with each other following the funeral prayers for a deputy general manager of the Karachi Electric Supply Company, who was killed in a magnetic bomb blast a day earlier.


Man jailed for recording woman in shower with a spy camera



A man, who placed a spy camera inside a shampoo rack of a toilet to video record a fellow tenant bathing, was jailed for three weeks on Thursday.

Accounts executive Chan Chee Yoong, 42, a Malaysian and a Singapore permanent resident, admitted to intruding into the privacy of the then 24-year-old woman at a flat in Balestier on May 28, 2011. A magistrate's court heard that Chan had rented a room at the flat while the victim was renting a room which she shared with her boyfriend.


Five Pakistanis killed in robbery outside Cape Town


JOHANNESBURG: South African police say two robbers stealing a safe shot and killed five Pakistani men and wounded a sixth in a ghetto outside the tourist resort of Cape Town.

Spokesman Col. Tembinkosi Kinana said the attack took place in a house believed used as a bakery late Tuesday.

The attackers took off with the safe. Kinana said police arrested a 28-year-old South African who had a gun and the safe. He would not say what was in the safe.

The robbery was particularly brutal even by the standards of violent crime that have become a norm in South Africa.

Kinana said the attackers shot six people, all Pakistani citizens. Four died at the scene, another at the hospital and the sixth victim is in critical condition.


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Two dead, mosques destroyed in Myanmar unrest: Police



YANGON: Two people including a Buddhist monk were killed and at least three mosques were destroyed after riots broke out in a town in central Myanmar, police said on Thursday.

Around 200 people fought in the streets after an argument in a Muslim-owned gold shop turned violent in Meiktila on Wednesday, according to a post on Myanmar Police Force's Facebook page.

"One injured monk and Than Myint Naing, 26, who were being treated for their injuries died from their burns at hospital," it said.