News

Arabs distance themselves from Ground Zero Mosque

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Jeddah, August 18: The recent statement by US President Barack Obama supporting the right of Muslims to establish a mosque and cultural center in lower Manhattan has stirred much debate in the United States.

But what do Arab Muslims think about the so-called “ground-zero mosque”?

“Many Muslims fear that the mosque will become a shrine for Islamists, which would remind Americans of what Muslims did on 9/11,” Dr. Gamal Abd Al-Gawad, director of Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo told The Media Line.

Danes see Islam as obstacle to society

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Copahegan, August 18: A majority of Danes fear Islam is an obstacle for social cohesion, despite one in two believing that immigration is positive for Danish society, a study released today shows.

In a survey by the Ramboell institute, some 54.9 percent believe Islam hinders social harmony, while 39.9 percent disagree and 5.2 percent did not comment.

Yet 49.7 percent of respondents believe that immigration since the 1960s – and the integration of immigrants, refugees and their offspring – have been generally positive for Danish society.

CPI(M) to intensify stir if Nakkapalli port be constructed in AP

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Visakhapatnam, August 18: CPI(M) District Committee Secretary Ch Narasinga Rao has demanded that the government order, allowing the Anrak Aluminium Company Limited (AAL) to construct Nakkapalli port at Rajayyapata be withdrawn immediately.

Talking to mediapersons here yesterday, he alleged that once again the government’s plan to export Bauxite was revealed by the government order of the Nakkapalli port.

He demanded that a judicial inquiry be ordered into the issue of the proposed mining in the district.

Truck bomb claims eight in Baghdad

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Baghdad, August 18: Eight people have been killed in a bombing in Baghdad where a fuel truck was blown up by militants, hours after a deadly attack on an army recruitment center.

The explosion occurred at 9:30 p.m. (0630 GMT) on Tuesday when a bomb attached to a truck loaded with kerosene exploded in the capital’s northeastern neighborhood of Ur, BBC reported.

Another 44 were wounded in the blast.

The truck was reportedly parked near a fuel station that also caught fire.

Bassam Aramin’s search for justice

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Tehran, August 18: On a hot August afternoon exactly three years ago Bassam Aramin was adamant that he did not want revenge for the death of his ten-year-old daughter, Abir, but justice. At the time, he added quietly: “I have to prove my daughter was killed: that is my problem.”

Yesterday he had the satisfaction of knowing that his three-year fight to do just that had been vindicated by a judge’s ruling that Abir Aramin had indeed been shot dead by a border policeman with a rubber bullet, that the killing was “totally unjustifiable” and that the state should pay her family compensation.

Look beyond insecurity: Mufti to New Delhi

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Srinagar, August 18: Calling upon New Delhi to display the confidence, maturity and understanding of a large and strong democracy, former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed expressed regret that in case of Kashmir only the insecurity fanned by the hawks were scripting its policies.

Israeli jets raid Gaza targets

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Gaza, August 18: Israeli airplanes struck several targets in the Gaza Strip, apparently in response to the injury of two soldiers by Palestinian militants.

Witnesses said that the air strikes destroyed two smuggling tunnels beneath Gaza’s southern border with Egypt late Tuesday. Medical sources said there were no casualties in these raids, Xinhua reported .

PRP demands CBI probe into irregularities in TTD

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Hyderabad, August 18: PRP demanded that the Andhra Pradesh government order a CBI inquiry into the affairs of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.

“All parties in the state have been demanding an inquiry into the affairs of the TTD. The Vigilance and Enforcement Department has already conducted a probe into the TTD affairs while the state government is about to appoint another committee on instructions of the High Court.

From PhD candidate to ‘terrorist’

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Beijing, August 18: Eight years ago, Zhai Tiantian left China to pursue higher education in the United States. A week ago, the doctoral candidate returned to his home country with a tag of “potential terrorist” on his head.

Zhai, 27, a former student at the New Jersey-based Stevens Institute of Technology, was doing his PhD when the university suspended him in March, citing major violations of the code of conduct for students as the reason.

Zhai hit the headlines in the American and Chinese media following his arrest on April 15 on charge of terrorism.

SLC apologises to Sehwag for Randiv’s no ball

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New Delhi, August 18: An “upset” Sri Lanka Cricket on Tuesday apologised to Indian opener Virender Sehwag for the deliberate no-ball bowled by off-spinner Suraj Randiv which left him stranded on 99 in their tri-series match here and promised action on the matter after getting a probe report.

SLC Secretary Nishantha Ranatunga called up the Indian team manager Ranjib Biswal and apologised for Monday’s incident.

Swedish Pirates host Wikileaks

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Washington, August 18: The Swedish Pirate Party is a political party from Sweden founded in 2006. The party strives to reform laws regarding copyright and patents. The SPP’s agenda also includes support for a strengthening the right to privacy, both on the Internet and in everyday life, and the transparency of state administration.

The Party stated the agreement was reached at a meeting in Stockholm over the weekend with Assange, reported AFP.

Investigate me, or I’ll fast: TTD ex-boss

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Hyderabad, August 18: Former TTD Board chairman B Karunakar Reddy has threatened to launch an indefinite fast if the government doesn’t respond to his plea of CBI inquiry into corruption charges levelled against him.

“The opposition is deliberately making corruption allegations that I misused funds for my selfish gains and I was an atheist,’’ he said.

Omar pardons shoe chucker in Ramzan spirit

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Srinagar, August 18: J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah has forgiven the man who threw a shoe at him on August 15. In a goodwill gesture, Omar met suspended head constable Abdul Ahad Jan and directed the police to release him. The state government spokesperson said Jan was released on compassionate grounds.

“Omar called Jan to his residence and gave him a patient hearing after which he directed the police authorities to release him immediately,” he said.

Heavy rain in city; two persons electrocuted

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Hyderabad, August 18: It took four centimetres of relentless rain that lasted an hour on Tuesday to bring the capital to its knees. Two persons Chandra Dole (24) and Fareed Khan (20) were electrocuted, one at R.P. Road and the other at Gandhinagar in Secunderabad.

All the low-lying areas and major stretches of roads were inundated. Traffic along major arterial roads was fully disrupted and it took two to three hours for traffic police to clear the gridlocks.

India wins property tax battle with New York City

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New York, August 18: India has won a seven-year legal battle with New York City with a federal appeals court ruling that nations with diplomatic housing do not have to pay city property taxes.

The unanimous ruling by the federal Second Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan Tuesday lets India off the hook for $42.5 million in back taxes and interest, and Mongolia for another $4.3 million on their missions to the United Nations.

Iran to block Strait of Hormuz if attacked

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Tehran, August 18: The Iranian military has warned it will seize the Strait of Hormuz, a major gateway to the oil-producing Gulf, if the US attacked the country, state-run Press TV reported Tuesday.

“The country’s armed forces are under highest state of preparedness,” said Brigadier General Ali Shademani, head of Operations Department of Joint Chiefs of Staff of Iranian Armed Forces.

“Three measures are in store to counter any potential aggression against the country. First action would be to take full control of Strait of Hormuz,” he said.

Israeli fighters launch 4 attacks on Gaza

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Gaza, August 18: Two of the Tuesday assaults hit near Rafah and north of the city of Khan Yunis, near the border with Egypt, AFP reported, citing Palestinian security sources and witnesses.

Targets near the Zeitoun district, east of Gaza City, as well as the Deir al-Balah refugee camp in the centre of the impoverished territory were also hit during two other attacks.

Earlier in the day, security officials with the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, said six Israeli tanks had crossed into an area in the south of the coastal sliver, Reuters had reported.

Israelis pose with dead Palestinians

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Jerusalem, August 18: More humiliating photographs, taken by Israeli troopers and border guards, hit the internet, some featuring the servicemen posing next to dead Palestinians.

The pictures, published by the Israeli human rights group, Breaking the Silence, on the internet social hub of Facebook on Tuesday also showed the Israeli soldiers wearing smiles in cases, while striking a figure beside bound and blindfolded Palestinian prisoners, some of them dead, Israeli website Ynetnews reported.

Shortage of 1.2 million school teachers: Sibal

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New Delhi, August 18: Human Resource Development Minister, Kapil Sibal, said that there is a shortage of 1.2 million teachers at the elementary level and nearly 200,000 for Class 9 and 10, on Tuesday, Aug 17 at New Delhi.

Addresing the 15th foundation day of the National Council for Teacher Education, Sibal said, “the availability of good teachers is the biggest challenge for the education system.”

The issue of teachers training has been in focus, especially since the Right to Education Act has to be implemented in the country.

Chappell trying for full-time Oz selector post

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Melbourne, August 18: Former Australian Test selector Greg Chappell is running in to take over the selector job again after a gap of two decades when he resigned from the post due to the “archaic structure” of the cricket administration in Australia then.

The 62-year-old former Test skipper will appear for an interview later this week for becoming a full-time selector and if chosen, his responsibilities would also include being a national talent scout.

Cricket Australia manager Michael Brown said that the new role has been designed to help professionalize the panel.

US’ Iraq ambassador sees progress despite bombing

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Washington, August 18: Christopher Hill, the outgoing US ambassador to Iraq, insisted Iraq has made progress in reducing the level of violence in the past year, shrugging off the lack of a government and a devastating bombing in Baghdad Tuesday.

The White House also said the draw-down of US combat troops in Iraq remained “firmly on track” as it condemned the suicide attack outside an Iraqi Army recruiting centre in Baghdad, which killed at least 58 people and left 130 others injured.

30 injured in blast in Russia

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Moscow, August 18: At least 30 people were injured after a car exploded in the centre of the southern Russian city of Pyatigorsk Tuesday, a local emergencies department source said.

“Three of the wounded are in a critical condition,” the source said.

An explosive device was detonated in a Lada car parked near a cafe at 16:15 Moscow time (12:15 GMT).

President Dmitry Medvedev ordered the head of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) to do everything possible to get to the bottom of the incident.

Hezbollah gives footage on killing

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Beirut, August 18: Lebanon’s Hezbollah submitted a dossier to a state prosecutor yesterday after a UN court requested the Shiite group provide the evidence it said it had of Israel’s involvement in the 2005 killing of Rafik Al Hariri.

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah last week displayed what he said was Israeli surveillance footage of routes used by Hariri, saying this pointed to Israel carrying out the suicide bombing which killed the former prime minister and 22 others.

Italy’s former president dies at 82

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Rome, August 18: Italy’s former president Francesco Cossiga died Tuesday at a Rome hospital aged 82.

Cossiga was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital Aug 9 with cardio-respiratory problems, and his condition turned “drastically” worse overnight, the hospital said.

A heart circulation crisis was one of the causes of Cossiga’s death. He had been re-attached to a life support machine after he suffered a “sudden and drastic deterioration” during the night, according to doctors.

Cossiga will be buried in his native Sardinia.

Lebanese spying for Israel sentenced to death

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Beirut, August 18: A military court has sentenced to death two Lebanese after convicting them of spying for Israel, Labanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.

The judge, Nizar Khalil, pronounced the judgement Tuesday after convicting Ousama Ali Berri and fugitive Salim Atmeh of spying for Israel during the 2006 war between the Jewish state and Lebanese Shiite armed group Hezbollah.

Both of them offered Israeli intelligence agency Mosad information concerning Lebanese and Hezbollah military posts, Xinhua reported.