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Jaswant expelled from BJP for praising ‘Jinnah’

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Shimla, August 19: Jaswant Singh, whose book eulogising Mohd Ali Jinnah has come under attack from BJP and the Sangh Parivar, was today expelled from the BJP.

BJP president Rajnath Singh, who had yesterday issued a statement totally distancing the party from Jaswant Singh’s book Jinnah – India, Partition, Independence, announced the decision to the media here.

“I had issued a statement yesterday that the party fully dissociates itself from the contents of the book.Today I put up the matter before the Parliamentary Board which decided to end his primary membership.

Syria will look to prove their top billing against Kyrgyzstan

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New Delhi, August 19: Syria, runners-up last time, are the highest ranked team at the ONGC Nehru Cup 2009 and they will have to live up to their top billing when they face 160th ranked Kyrgyzstan in the second game of the ONGC Nehru Cup here Thursday.

Going by their recent track record, 96th-ranked Syria undoubtedly are the tournament favourites as they had beaten China and Lebanon in the Asian Cup qualifiers and currently are at the top of Group D.

Syria’s coach Fazer Ibrahim said for him the Nehru Cup is a preparation to qualify for the Asian Cup.

Pakistan getting ready for World Cup hockey qualifiers

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Karachi, August 19: Four-time champions Pakistan will be featuring in the World Cup hockey qualifiers for the first time and are aware that a failure will push their hockey to abysmal depths.

“We have no option but to win the World Cup qualifying tournament,” said Pakistan captain Zeeshan Ashraf, a seasoned defender.

“We will adopt a do-or-die strategy in the event because we have to qualify for the World Cup,” he added.

Swine flu vaccine orders pass one billion

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London, August 19: Northern hemisphere countries have so far ordered more than one billion doses of swine flu vaccine, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday, sparking warnings over shortages.

Some countries—notably Greece, The Netherlands, Canada and Israel—have ordered enough double doses to inoculate their entire populations.

Others, such as Germany, the United States, Britain and France, have put in orders that would cover between 30 and 78 percent of people.

Criminal case against former MP Narendra withdrawn

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Hyderabad, August 18: The state has withdrawn a criminal case against the former TRS MP and Union minister, Mr A. Narendra, for assaulting cops.

Though the director general of police and the assistant public prosecutor of the Fourteenth Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court did not recommend withdrawal of prosecution against Mr Narendra, the state law department closed the case against him on Tuesday.

The expelled TRS leader had joined the Congress in March this year.

Sub-Inspector jailed for cheating Muslim girl with marriage promise

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Hyderabad, August 18: Andhra Pradesh police Tuesday arrested one of their own – a sub-inspector of police – for allegedly cheating a college student after promising to marry her. A court later sent him to two weeks in judicial custody.

Ranganath Goud, who was absconding since Razia Sultana, 18, lodged a complaint against him last month, was arrested by Guntur district police – three days after she began an indefinite fast outside the office of Guntur district superintendent of police, demanding senior police officials intervene to make Goud marry her.

11cm Rain in Hyderabad brings respite to citizens

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Hyderabad, August 17: Sudden rain and thundershowers lashed the city on Monday evening, bringing respite to the people from the scorching heat.

The mercury in the State Capital was hovering over the 32 degree Celsius-mark for over a fortnight and the past few days had turned humid and torrid causing untold hardship to people.

PM meets CMs, drought and terror on agenda

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New Delhi, August 17: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will meet and address the chief ministers on drought and price rise in New Delhi on Monday. The other agenda of the meeting is internal security.

The Prime Minister while addressing the concerns with all state chief ministers on the lack of rainfall and the spectre of drought will also ask them to help the Centre formulate a concrete course of action.

Michael Jackson’s body moved to secret freezer

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London, August 17: Michael Jackson’s mother has moved the King of Pop’s body to a secret freezer because she wanted it kept where she could visit him privately.

Jackson’s body had been temporarily entombed in Motown legend Berry Gordy’s family crypt at a cemetery in the Hollywood Hills. But it was reported that Jackson was moved under tight security to the basement of another cemetery, reported mirror.co.uk.

Jankovic downs Safina to win Cincinnati title

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Ohio, August 17: Jelena Jankovic defeated world number one Dinara Safina 6-4, 6-2 Sunday to capture the title in the two million-dollar WTA Tour Cincinnati Open.

The fifth seed from Serbia needed an hour and 25 minutes to get past Russia’s Safina, who was playing in her eighth final in 14 tournaments this year.

Jankovic started the year ranked number one in the world, but has seen her ranking drop with a series of lackluster results.

However, she captured her second title of the year, to go with her victory in the claycourt tournament in Marbella in April.

–Agencies

First Muslim Woman on Africa Top Peak

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Cairo, August 17: Dr. Nadia El-Awady, president of the World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ), became the first Arab and Muslim woman to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa.
“I made it,” Awady said in an SMS she sent to IslamOnline.net, confirming that she had successfully achieved her plan to reach the highest point of Kilimanjaro.

“Special greetings from the roof of Africa!”

The mountain located in north-eastern Tanzania, stands with its highest peak, Uhuru, at 5,892 meters.

Adventures of A Muslim Woman

Iran defies condemnation, expands trial

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Tehran, August 17: Iran expanded a mass trial of opposition supporters on Sunday with the addition of 25 defendants — including a Jewish teenager — in defiance of international condemnation.

As France said Iran agreed to release a French woman held on spying charges from prison.

The defendants are among more than 100 people charged with plotting a “soft revolution” against the Islamic theocracy during the postelection protests. The mass trial is part of an attempt to put an end to the protests by those who say Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s June 12 re-election was the result of fraud.

Vasundhara statement “positive,” no action

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New Delhi, August 17: A crucial meeting of the BJP Central Parliamentary Board on Sunday decided not to take disciplinary action against the former Rajasthan Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje, for defying party orders, and instead allowed her to step down as Leader of the Opposition. For, it “believed that she would obey the party decision.”

The party is said to have taken into consideration Ms. Raje’s statement, earlier in the day, that she had not made any adverse comment about any party leader or thought of floating a separate party.

Afghan President Karzai Confronts Two Rivals in Election Debate

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Kabul, August 17: Three candidates in the Afghan presidential election, including incumbent President Hamid Karzai, have faced off in a nationally broadcast debate. It was the first time a sitting president has participated in such an election debate.

Just hours before official campaigning ended, President Karzai debated two challengers in the first such event in which he agreed to participate. But former foreign minister and presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah did not attend, denying Afghan voters a chance to assess head-to-head the top two contenders.

Bombs kill at least 8 people in Iraqi market

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Baghdad, August 17: Bombs hidden in plastic bags near a falafel stand exploded at a market in a mainly Shiite area in Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least eight civilians and wounding 19, Iraqi officials said. It was the latest in a series of bombings targeting Shiites and minorities in the capital and northern Iraq.

The U.S. military has said insurgents are trying to re-ignite sectarian bloodshed that pushed the country to the brink of civil war but Shiites so far have shown restraint.

White House appears ready to drop ‘public option’

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Washington, August 17: Bowing to Republican pressure, President Barack Obama’s administration signaled on Sunday it is ready to abandon the idea of giving Americans the option of government-run insurance as part of a new health care system.

Muslim scholars support India’s fight against terror

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Mumbai, August 16: Religious scholars and political experts from several Muslim and Arab countries Sunday endorsed India’s fight against terrorism as they participated in a seminar held at the Taj hotel, the scene of last year’s brutal terror attacks.

“The world has seen terrorism in various forms at different places, which emanated from various quarters. Terrorism has to be dealt with in the most strictest manner. It has no place in Islam and the world,” Mohammed Shahumi, advisor to Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, told the audience that terrorism cannot be tolerated.

Film industry outraged over treatment meted out to Shah Rukh

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Mumbai, August 16: ‘Shocking’, ‘disgraceful’ and ‘madness’ is how Bollywood today reacted to the detention of Indian cinema icon Shah Rukh Khan at a US airport, apparently because of his surname.

His close friends Karan Johar, Farah Khan, Juhi Chawla and Aziz Mirza as well as industry veterans like Mahesh Bhatt and Raza Murad slammed the the ill-treatment meted out to the megastar.

Storm over BJP gathers momentum, Raje still defiant

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Jaipur, August 16: The impending storm over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) isn’t blowing over with former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje turning rebel.

Raje has already defied BJP President Rajnath Singh and refused to resign as Rajasthan’s Leader of Opposition.

Just a day after her show of strength wasn’t taken well by the BJP top brass, Raje on Saturday skipped the Independence Day function at the state party headquarters in Jaipur.

“I am surviving only on your support,” she told her supporters.

Now, a chilli bomb to smoke out insurgents, rioters

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New Delhi, August 16: Indian security forces will soon have a new weapon to take on insurgents or rioters — a chilli bomb.

With the pattern of wars around the world changing to more low-intensity conflicts, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is testing hand grenades stuffed with Bhut Jolakia chillies from Assam — termed the world’s hottest chillies.

Lin scripts badminton history with World championship hattrick

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Hyderabad, August 16: China’s Lin Dan scripted history by becoming the first badminton player to win a hat-trick of World Championships title here Sunday.

In the men’s singles title clash, Lin defeated compatriot Jin Chen 21-18, 21-16 at the Gachibowli Stadium here.

–Agencies

Ahmadinejad condemns EU, US over post-poll policies

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Tehran, August 16: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Sunday condemned policies adopted by the US and European Union following the disputed June 12 presidential election, state media reported.

“You have clearly interfered in Iran’s internal affairs and were naive enough to think that you can damage the system but with god’s help you failed,” Ahmadinejad said.

The EU and US have not acknowledged Ahmadinejad’s re-election and decried the country’s harsh approach towards protests over alleged election fraud as well the detained dissidents.

Swine Flu Dashes Iraq Hajj Dream

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Baghdad, August 16: Nur Abdel-Rassoul was counting the days to embark on hajj, the ultimate spiritual journey for which she has been saving for years to afford.
Then came the swine flu pandemic and ruined the Iraq woman’s longtime dream.

“I was saving dinar by dinar to realize my dream, and then I was told I will not be able to make it,” Rassoul, 47, told IslamOnline.net.

Deadly blast strikes Afghan capital

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Kabul, August 16: More than 85 people were wounded in the attack near the Isaf headquarters in Kabul on Saturday.

At least eight people have been killed and more than 85 others wounded in a suicide car bombing in the most heavily guarded area of the Afghan capital.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the blast outside the headquarters of Nato’s International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) in Kabul’s diplomatic area on Saturday.

Mousavi to lead ‘green hope’ movement

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Tehran, August 16: Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi will continue his protest against the presidential election in a social movement named the “Green Path of Hope”, newspapers reported on Sunday.

Mousavi, who was the closest rival to incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 12 poll, has charged the election which kept the hardliner in power was massively rigged and branded his government illegitimate.