BJP worker shoots down municipal Councilor in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal January 6 (Pervez Bari): Quite a sensation has been caused in Sagar town, about 120 kms from Madhya Pradesh state capital Bhopal, when a Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), leader shot dead a municipal councilor in broad day light in Kotwali police area. The gory incident has created tension in the town.

Senior police officers on learning about the incident reached on the spot with a large posse of police force. After the incident, the BJP leaders flocked the District Hospital where the victim was taken.

Madrassas versus RSS run Schools

Since 9/11 2001, it started being propagated that Madrassas are the training dens for terrorists. This went on becoming part of social psyche. This has added to the prevalent communal propaganda against Muslims. Recently in a (October 2009) meeting of EKAL school teachers, Mohan Bhagawat, the RSS Sarsanghchalak, while speaking to the teachers of EKAL schools (single teacher schools set up by RSS affiliates, mainly in Adivasi areas), said that Madrassas are the breeding ground for terrorism. He also contrasted Madrassas with the work of EKAL schools.

Bush ‘inherited’ 9/11 attacks: Matalin

Washington, December 28: No amount of spit and polish can clean the tarnish of the 9/11 attacks from the Bush legacy, but that didn’t stop GOP strategist Mary Matalin from trying.

During a Sunday appearance on CNN, Matalin attempted to prop up an analogy between the first year of George W. Bush’s presidency and that of President Barack Obama’s. Raising the specter of rising unemployment, anchor John King wondered whether Republicans have the right to attack Democrats over the economy.

World famous footballer embraces Islam in UAE

Dubai, December 28: Football star Abel Xavier embraced Islam on a trip to the United Arab Emirates last week and said he will now quit football at the age of 38 to pursue a career in humanitarian work, press reports revealed.

Former Portuguese international, Abel, who will now go by the name of Faisal Xavier, said he regretted leaving the sport but said he was happy to enter a new phase in his life.

Devnagiri script for Urdu mooted; Mirza Ghalib’s Urdu language criticized for complexities

Bhopal, December 23 (Pervez Bari): A 10-day orientation course / workshop for Urdu teachers got underway here at Mulla Ramuzi Sanskriti Bhavan, the headquarters of Madhya Pradesh Urdu Academy, (MPUA).

The orientation course is being held jointly organized by Urdu Teaching & Research Centre, (UTRC), Solan, under Union HRD Ministry’s Central Institute of Indian Languages, and the Madhya Pradesh Urdu Academy. The course will conclude on December 30.

EX- RAW BOSS GRAFT PROBE FILES MISSING

TEN YEARS after a CBI complaint was filed against former Research & Analysis Wing ( RAW) chief A. K. Verma for siphoning government funds and misusing the agency’s safehouses for personal purposes, the files containing CBI’s preliminary investigations have gone missing.

CBI responds to RTI application by claiming it has lost the papers

A judge at the Tis Hazari Courts had on November 20 asked the CBI to file a status report on a complaint filed in 1999 by R. K. Yadav, general secretary of the RAW Employees Association.

SINNERS IN DISGUISE

“There are hidden facets to the sorry episode of the Babri Masjid that also implicate others”

THE LIBERHAN Report can be excused for its longwinded vacuity as also the time it took to see the light of day. But the more hilarious aspect of the aftermath of the tabling of the report is the manner in which politicians of various persuasions have reacted to it. All of them have come up with their own version of the truth. In Indian politics, truth never prevails, but all that prevails is true.

GOVT SET TO REOPEN QUOTA CAN OF WORMS

New Delhi, December 10: ‘Quota messiahs’ commit govt to make public Ranganath Misra report on SC reservation for Dalit Christians and Muslims

THE UPA government on Wednesday opened yet another can of worms by committing to the tabling of the Ranganath Misra Commission report in the ongoing session of Parliament.

The Commission, which submitted its report two years ago, had strongly recommended reservation for Muslims and Christians under the SC and OBC quota.

US has no intelligence on Bin Laden: Gates

Washington, December 07: The United States does not know where al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is hiding and has not had any good intelligence on his whereabouts in years, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Saturday.

Speaking in an interview to be aired on Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” program, Gates also said he could not confirm reports this week that a detainee might have seen bin Laden in Afghanistan earlier this year.

” Well, we don’t know for a fact where Osama bin Laden is. If we did, we’d go get him ”
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates

Husband infects sex-ban wife with HIV

Wellington, December 07: An HIV-positive man infected his wife with the virus because he wanted to start having sex with her again.

The 35-year-old injected his blood into the sleeping woman, who had refused to have a physical relationship for a year after discovering he was carrying the virus that causes Aids.

He pricked her twice with a sewing needle laced with his blood, believing the pair would be ‘equals’ once more.

But he was behind bars in New Zealand today awaiting sentencing after admitting infecting another person with a disease.

Now Swiss leader calls for ban on Muslim cemeteries

Bern, December 04: Just a few days after Swiss voters approved of a ban on minarets in their country, the leader of a major Swiss political party is defending his call to ban separate Jewish and Muslim cemeteries.

According to Jewish news service JTA, Christophe Darbellay, head of the country’s Christian Democratic Party, made the comment during a TV interview on Tuesday evening.

Israel illegally annexing east Jerusalem: report

Occupied Jerusalem, December 04: The European Union accused Israel on Thursday of actively pursuing the annexation of Arab east Jerusalem and undermining hopes for peace with Palestinians, a confidential report obtained by AFP revealed.

The annual report drafted by the EU heads of missions in Jerusalem accused Israel of implementing in 2009 an intricate policy which includes expanding Jewish settlements and demolishing Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem.

UAE economy solid despite debts: president

Abu Dhabi, December 02: The United Arab Emirates economy is in a good condition and will not slip due to the global financial crisis, the Gulf country’s president said on Tuesday as Dubai’s ruler said the global reaction showed a lack of understanding.

President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan also voiced support to the ruler of Dubai, saying Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum and his cabinet “face every morning challenges, but plan and remove all obstacles to score achievements.”

Swiss minaret ban violates Muslim rights: Arabs

Geneva, December 02: Arab League chief Amr Moussa on Tuesday denounced a vote in Switzerland that banned the construction of any further minarets as the top United Nations rights official said the ban was linked to a growing wave of “anti-foreigner scaremongering.”

Moussa, who heads the 22-member organization, told reporters that the ban, approved by almost 58 percent of Swiss voters on Sunday, was a “violation of the rights of Muslims living in Switzerland.”

EU to give east Jerusalem to Palestinians: report

Jerusalem, December 02: An irate Israel slammed the European Union on Tuesday for the group’s planned proposal to call for east Jerusalem to be named the capital of a future Palestinian state, dividing what Tel Aviv labels its “eternal capital.”

The official proposal is set to be put forward by EU foreign ministers on Dec.7 when they will call for Jerusalem to be divided to serve as capitals for both Israel and Palestine, Israel’s Haaretz reported, citing a copy of the draft document it obtained.

An Israeli left wing activist during a demonstration against Jewish settlements

Floods wreak havoc in Saudi city

Makkah, November 28: Around two million Muslim pilgrims in Makkah launched into the final rituals of the Hajj pilgrimage on Saturday as flash floods wreaked havoc in the city of Jeddah, where Saudi Arabia’s civil defense authorities put the death toll at 98 people.

Tens of thousands of the faithful were circling the Kaaba at the heart of the mosque in Makkah while many more continued the three stage ritual of stoning of the devil at the jamarat pillars in the nearby city of Mina.

Pilgrims perform the Jamarat ritual where they stone the devil

Kasab’s Lawyer Apologises in Court

Mumbai, November 28: Mumbai lawyer SG Abbas Kazmi, who was found guilty of having ‘lied’ before the Special Court trying the case of Pakistani national Ajmal Amir Kasab, tendered an unconditional apology on Friday afternoon.

However, he requested Special Judge M . Tahaliyani to consider removing the words pertaining to the ‘lies’ from his order.

The special judge promised to expunge those remarks from the records.

More than 1,000 deaths in past week from H1N1

Geneva, November 28: More than 1,000 deaths from the H1N1 swine flu virus were officially reported in the past week, a sharp rise which brings the global total to at least 7,826, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday.

More than half of the latest fatalities were reported by health authorities in the Americas region.

The winter flu season arrived early in the northern hemisphere this year and continues to be intense across parts of North America and much of Europe.

Messenger Jailed for Theft

Dubai, November 28: The Court of Appeal upheld the three-month jail term given by a lower court to a messenger for stealing from the donation box in a clinic. The court also upheld the deportation order of the defendant after serving his jail term.

The Court of First Instance sentenced on October 13 the 20-year-old Indian messenger to three-months in jail as he was found guilty of stealing from his work place.

Man Gets Two-Year Imprisonment for Torching Offices

Dubai, November 28: The Court of Appeals upheld the two-year prison term awarded by a lower court to a Filipino accountant for setting two offices in his previous company on fire.

The court also upheld deportation of the Filipino after serving the jail term.

The Appellate Court referred the embezzlement charge to the Court of Misdemeanours.

The Court of First Instance had sentenced the accountant to two years in prison followed by deportation for arson on October 13.

Hundreds mark Saddam death anniversary with tribute

Awja, November 28: Hundreds of Iraqis gathered at the tomb of former dictator Saddam Hussein on Friday to commemorate the anniversary of his execution in 2006.

Throughout the day, they poured into the mausoleum in Saddam’s hometown of Awja where the ex-president and his two sons, Uday and Qusay, are buried.

Saddam was actually hanged on December 30, 2006, which marked that year the first day of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha. This year the festival began on Friday, according to the Islamic calendar.

Urgent Visa Processing During Holidays

Abu Dhabi, November 28: Special units at the naturalisation, residency and exit checkpoints in the country will continue receiving urgent applications in the morning during the Eid Al Adha and National Day holidays.

The urgent cases are limited and considered in all department, which will handle them in a fixed hours.

Bull on the Run Creates Scare in Sharjah

Sharjah, November 28: A bull that fell off a truck nearly spoilt Eid Al Adha celebrations of motorists and people in a Sharjah area on Friday morning.

While people out greeting friends and neighbours along King Faisal Street ran for life, motorists swerved left and right trying to avoid the bull running helter-skelter.

Eyewitnesses and police sources said the bull fell from a truck carrying animals to a slaughterhouse around 8.30am. Not realising that he had lost one of his prized cargo, the driver sped towards Central Souq.

9 Saudi soldiers missing along Saudi-Yemen border

Riyadh, November 28: Saudi Arabia says nine of its soldiers fighting Yemeni rebels on the border are missing and the kingdom’s monarch is vowing to defend the country.

A defense ministry statement said the fate of the soldiers remains unknown. The statement was a reaction to reports that the soldiers were captured by Yemeni rebels.