shameen Moscow, September 05: The militant described as the mastermind of an attack that badly wounded the head of Russia’s Ingushetia region has been killed after a shootout with Russian forces, reports said on Saturday.
Rustam Dzortov was suspected of planning the June 22 car bomb attack on Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, the former paratroop commander appointed by the Kremlin to bring control to increasingly violent Ingushetia.
Sydney, September 05: Australia decided to support East Timorese independence many months before a referendum in 1999, but publicly maintained the line that it should remain part of Indonesia, a report said on Saturday.
In an interview for a book about modern Australian politics, former conservative prime minister John Howard said he had believed East Timor’s independence was “inevitable”.
But “one had to be careful about handling that publicly,” Howard told author Paul Kelly.
Urumqi, September 05: China’s official Xinhua News Agency says the Communist Party chief of the western city of Urumqi has been fired after five people died in protests over a series of hypodermic needle attacks.
Xinhua did not give a reason for the Li Zhi’s removal on Saturday. But protesters have called for his resignation, amid anger at poor security in the city.
The needle attacks, that authorities have blamed on Muslim separatists, have unnerved the city amid fears of a renewed outbreak of communal violence after ethnic rioting two months ago left nearly 200 people dead.
Pune, September 05: One more person died of swine flu here, taking the death toll in the viral infection in the city to 34, health officials said on Saturday.
Sandeep Dayne (35) died last night at a private hospital where he had been undergoing treatment since August 28.
Meanwhile, six fresh cases of the viral infection have been detected in the city, worst hit by the pandemic.
Pune branch of Indian Medical Association (IMA) has announced that it would hold workshops to train doctors in rural areas to handle suspected swine flu cases.
–Agencies
New Delhi, September 05: The CPI(M) Politburo on Saturday began a two-day meeting to finalise a document to deal with its organisational problems which led to its rout in the recent polls in its strongholds of West Bengal and Kerala.
The purpose of the meeting is to give final touches to amend and strengthen its “rectification document” that had been prepared several years ago.
The meeting is being attended by all top leaders barring West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who is not well, and the party’s Kerala Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan.
New Delhi, September 05: The publishers of former BJP leader Jaswant Singh’s controversial book on Jinnah have rushed about 5,000 copies to Gujarat within 24 hours of the state high court setting aside the ban on it by the Narendra Modi government.
“There has been a tremendous demand for the book. We have sent about 5,000 copies of ‘Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence’. The books have been sent to Baroda, Ahmedabad and other cities of the state,” R K Mehra, chairman of Rupa and Company, the publishers of the book told reporters.
Guwahati, September 05: Panic has gripped people in the Northeast with four earthquakes rocking the region in the past three weeks, including a 5.9 magnitude tremor on Friday, the biggest in the past nine years.
“Everyone is asking the same question – are we prepared to deal with a major disaster? We have not seen any urgency on the part of the government to activate its disaster management cells,” said Arun Mahanta, a doctor.
New Delhi, September 05: A clash between police and local residents of a Ghaziabad residential colony on Saturday got uglier and violent resulting in police firing and long traffic snarls.
Angry protesters blocked the NH-24 resulting in a traffic jam stretching as long as 15 kms. The road from Lal Kuan till UP Gate is said to be blocked.
Commuters using the highway are said to be caught in the jam since 7.00 am making it impossible to reach places like Vaishali and Indirapuram.
New Delhi, September 05: I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper’s wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?: Mother Teresa.
“Saint on Earth”, “Saint of Gutters”, “Angel of Mercy”, “Living Saint of Calcutta”. Mother Teresa, one woman who needs no introduction.
New Delhi, September 05: Concerned over teachers in the country being professionally “disempowered”, Vice President M Hamid Ansari on Saturday pitched for reforms in the education system to nurture their skills and competence.
The Vice President, who gave away the National Awards to Teachers here, described the recently passed Right to Education Act passed by the Parliament “as more empowering, in terms of its impact, than the Right to Vote”.
Mumbai, September 05: Looks like Karan Johar is no mood to let filmmaker Ram Gopal Verma take a breather. KJo, who appeared on a TV show recently, made sure that he created quite a stir, even if that meant doing it at Ramu’s cost.
According to reports, Karan Johar, while appearing on Farah Khan’s show ‘Tere Mere Beach Mein’ recently, went ahead and showed his disapproval of RGV’s style of filmmaking.
Sharjah, September 05: About 250 new books featuring the best specialised British publications in the areas of public administration, human resources, business, leadership, finance, marketing and accounting among others, will be added to the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) library.
The SCCI recently hosted a ceremony during which it announced the addition of several new specialised books and publications to the SCCI library.
Dubai, September 05: When talking to him, one feels he is a fully mature and grown-up man though he is Grade 10 student.
This is 15-year-old Abdul Rahman Hafez, who is representing Egypt in the 13th session of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award (DIHQA).
“I started memorising the Quran at the age of seven and finished it after three years and a half. I was used to memorising the Quran at the Kuttab (a kind of small Islamic centre) of my village in Qalyubiya province. My younger brother has also memorised the Quran in full,” Abdul Rahman told Khaleej Times.
Al Gharbia, September 05: The Consumer Protection Department of the Ministry of Economy will launch an inspection campaign on markets, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, to prevent violations and indiscriminate hike in the prices consumer items, said an official at the department.
The official, who asked not to be named, warned that a set of penalties ranging from fines to closure and referring to court will be imposed against stores that breach the rules. Punishments will also be imposed against those who deliberately and unjustifiably increase prices.
Abu Dhabi, September 05: A European student who returned from vacation abroad and was suspected of contracting the H1N1 virus has been quarantined, according to an official from the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC). The girl studies in class IX in American International School.
Dr. Amer Al Kindi, the School Health Manager at ADEC said they were officially notified of the student’s case on Thursday, following which ADEC recommended for her to be qurantined for seven days.
–Agencies
Dubai, September 05: “Mabrouk!” greet supporters of the Ruler of Dubai, giving him a thumbs up on Facebook for the launch of the Metro later this week.
Sharing the jubilation on social networking sites, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, says he is “very excited about the launch of the Dubai Metro on 09.09.09.”
Dubai, September 05: His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-president and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said the current economic slowdown was a ‘passing cloud’ and called for renewed dynamism and a positive outlook fom the business community to create conditions for recovery.
He stressed the need for closer cooperation between the private sector and government, and said the UAE economy was resilient to weather the harsh economic conditions, Wam reports.
Washington, September 05: A large piece of space junk flew past the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday without posing any threat, US space agency NASA said.
A piece of a European Ariane-5 rocket passed within 1.3 kilometres of the ISS, but not close enough to pose a risk to the station or its crew.
“The flight control team is continuing to monitor that debris, but again it did pass as expected and is no concern to the orbiting complex,” said a NASA spokesperson.
Kentucky, September 05: A former US soldier will spend his life in prison for the gang rape and murder of an Iraqi girl and the slaughter of her family, a judge ruled Friday.
Steven Dale Green was convicted in May of the 2006 rape and killing of 14-year-old Abeer al-Janabi and the murder of her mother, father and six-year-old sister in their home south of Baghdad.
He was considered the ringleader of a group of five soldiers who plotted the crime over whiskey and a game of cards at a traffic check point in Mahmudiyah.
Washington, September 05: The chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee said Friday the United States should focus its efforts on building up the Afghan army and police before considering further increases in U.S. combat troops in Afghanistan.
Bogota, September 05: Thousands of opponents of Hugo Chavez marched against the Venezuelan president across Latin America on Friday, accusing him of everything from authoritarianism to international meddling.
The protests, coordinated through Twitter and Facebook, drew more than 5,000 people in Bogota, and thousands more in the capitals of Venezuela and Honduras. Smaller demonstrations were held in other Latin American capitals, as well as New York and Madrid.
United Nations, September 05: The United Nations is planning to host a summit in Afghanistan following the country’s disputed elections that will bring the new government and key international players together to promote development and democracy in coming years.
Ari Gaitanis, spokesman for the U.N. Peacekeeping Department, said Friday the summit will likely be held next spring in the capital, Kabul.
“We want to see fresh momentum on governance and development once the elections are over, and it’s hoped this meeting will contribute to that,” he said.
Khartoum, September 05: Amnesty International on Friday called on the Sudanese government to withdraw the charges against a woman journalist who risks 40 lashes for wearing trousers.
As a court in Khartoum prepares to resume the trial of Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein, Amnesty International said the law used to justify the flogging of women for wearing clothes deemed to be “indecent” should be repealed.
Idaho, September 05: A federal appeals court delivered a stinging rebuke Friday to the Bush administration’s post-Sept. 11 detention policies, ruling that former Attorney General John Ashcroft can be held liable for people who were wrongfully detained as material witnesses after 9/11.
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the government’s improper use of material witnesses after Sept. 11 was “repugnant to the Constitution and a painful reminder of some of the most ignominious chapters of our national history.”
United Nations, September 05: Heavy flooding is hitting some 350,000 people across West Africa, killing at least 25 in Ghana and seven in Burkina Faso, U.N. officials said Friday.
The most badly affected appears to be Burkina Faso, where 110,000 have been forced to flee their homes, mainly in the capital, Ouagadougou.