Month: August 2009

Pak ready to discuss all issues with India: Gilani

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Islamabad, August 02: Pakistan is ready to discuss all outstanding issues, including Kashmir, with India as war is not the solution to any problem, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said.

It is necessary to resolve all issues between India and Pakistan so that the countries could give attention to the problems of the people, he said in an interview to a TV news channel.

Replying to a question about Pakistan’s relations with India, he said Islamabad has always maintained that the ties “should be on the basis of equality.”

Israel seeks clarifications from UK over Jerusalem

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Jerusalem, August 02: Israel today said it has asked Britain to clarify statements by a diplomat who reportedly said his country was financing Palestinian property projects in Jerusalem.

“We have asked the British embassy in Tel Aviv to provide explanations concerning statements made on July 22 to Al-Arabiya television by diplomat Martin Day who is based in Abu Dhabi,” foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said.

Iran’s ex-president Khatami denounces riot trial

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Tehran, August 02: Former Iranian president and key supporter of Iranian opposition movement, Mohammad Khatami, denounced today the trial of around 100 people accused of rioting after the victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

“As per my information, what was done yesterday is against the constitution, regular laws and rights of the citizens,” his office quoted him as telling a group of political activists and lawmakers.

He said the court had relied on “confessions taken under certain circumstances which are not valid.”

Son of former Punjab minister murdered

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Bathinda, August 02: A son of a former Punjab Minister was today found murdered in a car at Sirhand Canal near Beham bridge in this district, police said.

Sandeep Singh Dhillon (45), son of Teja Singh Dhillon, a former Shiromani Akali Dal minister, was shot in the back from close range, police said.

His family said Sandeep Singh was called from his house in Civil lines by two persons who wanted to hire his land for a stud farm.

Iran hangs three for murder, drug trafficking

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Tehran, August 02: Iran has hanged three men convicted of murder and drug trafficking in the central city of Isfahan, government newspaper Iran today reported.

The men executed in prison yesterday were identified as Babak, who was convicted of killing a man in 2003, Ghorban-Ali, 22, who had stabbed another young man to death and Hassan, 33, convicted of selling heroin.

The latest reported hangings bring to at least 192 the number of people executed in the Islamic republic so far this year, according to an AFP count based on news reports.

Iran election trial a sham says ex-president

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Tehran, August 02: An influential pro-reform ex-president of Iran criticised the country’s first trial of activists and protesters following the disputed presidential election as a sham that would further erode confidence in the ruling Islamic establishment.

Mohammad Khatami said he hoped the “show” trial of more than 100 people that started yesterday would not “lead to ignorance of the real crimes” carried out by authorities following the June 12 vote, including alleged abuse and murder of detainees.

Police hunt Israel gay club shooter

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Police hunt Israel gay club shooter
Tel Aviv, August 02: Hundreds of police officers are scouring the streets of Tel Aviv today in a manhunt for a gunman who shot and killed two people at a youth club in the worst ever attack on homosexuals in Israel.

The Tel Aviv shooting shocked the Mediterranean city, which prides itself on its live-and-let-live attitude and boasts a thriving gay community. The brazen attack drew condemnations from the city’s mayor, from Cabinet ministers, the country’s chief rabbis and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
–Agencies

Police complaint filed against actor Emran Hashmi

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Mumbai, August 02: A police complaint has been filed against Bollywood actor Emran Hashmi, who had claimed that he was denied a house because he was a Muslim, accusing him of promoting enmity between different communities

The complaint, filed by a social activist and the executive member of National Youth Committee of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sanjay Bedia with D B Marg police station here Saturday night, has accused Hashmi and noted filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt of various offences under Indian Penal Code(IPC), Bedia’s lawyer Ketan Mehta said

Salman does have a friend, it’s Ajay!

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Mumbai, August 02: Who said Salman Khan hasn’t a friend in Bollywood? Step up and be prepared to get knocked down by Ajay Devgan! The two actors are friends. Though they’ve done only one film together — Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam in 1999, with the lovely Aishwarya Rai torn between both men’s love on screen.

Priyanka finally kisses Shahid!

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Mumbi, August 02:While Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapoor may have had sizzling chemistry off screen a while ago, she shied away from kissing him on screen for Kaminey.

Apparently, Priyanka is not a fan of PDA (Public Display of Affection), on and off screen. She refused to lock lips with Shahid in a scene that leads to love making, which eventually leads to her getting knocked up. Now if you won’t kiss, it’s kind of hard to reach the final result, right? But it still took Vishal Bharadwaj two months to convince her to do the scene.

Arogyasri health camps in August

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Anantapur, August 02: The Arogyasri Healthcare Trust will conduct health camps for the benefit of below poverty line families under Rajiv Arogya sri scheme in the first week of August to create awareness among people on health problems.

Places

Area Manager of Arogyasri scheme, T. Govardhan stated that medical camps would be held at Dimmagudi in Peddavadugur mandal and Puttaparthi on August 4.

No indefinite deployment of Central forces: Chidambaram

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New Delhi, August 02: The Centre has made it clear to all States that while paramilitary forces would be available for deployment, it could not be for an indefinite period. The State police force would have to take over the responsibility of maintaining law and order as soon as possible.

Raids on medical shops intensified

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Hyderabad, August 02: The Drugs Control Administration has intensified raids on medical shops dispensing drugs in the absence of registered pharmacists.

Director-General of Drugs and Copyrights, Drugs Control Administration, R. P .Meena, said in a press release here on Saturday that all drug inspectors and assistant directors throughout the State had been instructed to take stringent action against all such medical shops.

Labourer ‘gang-raped’

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Hyderabad, August 02: A labourer from Mahbubnagar, hired to work at a cattle shed, was allegedly gang-raped by three youngsters at MD lines in Golconda on Friday night.

The 25-year-old married woman was made her to stay back till it became dark to clean the shed. The accused Khaled allegedly dragged her inside a room near the shed and violated her. Khaled’s friend Naushad and another shed worker, Ram Jatan Choudhary also raped the woman, Golconda Inspector Chandrashekhar Reddy told reporters.

NATO says 3 US troops killed in Afghan battle

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Kabul, August 02: Militants in eastern Afghanistan attacked U.S. forces with gunfire Sunday after a roadside bomb hit their convoy. Three American troops died in the attack, officials said.

July was the deadliest month for international troops since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion, but August has gotten off to a lethal start.

The three U.S. deaths Sunday bring to nine the number of NATO troops killed already this month, after six NATO troops died on Saturday. Six of the nine were American.

Last month, 74 foreign troops were killed, including 43 Americans.

Car bomb hits market in Iraq, killing at least 5

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Baghdad, August 02: At least five people were killed and 34 others wounded Sunday in a car bombing in a mainly Sunni area northwest of Baghdad, police said.

A police officer said the explosives-laden car was parked near sidewalk vendors at an outdoor market in Haditha, a city on the Euphrates 140 miles (220 kilometers) from Baghdad. The officer gave the casualty toll on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release the information.

Troops patrol Pakistani city after riots kill 8

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Lahore, August 02: Paramilitary troops patrolled the streets of an eastern Pakistani city on Sunday after eight Christians died in riots led by Muslims, according to police.

Hundreds of Muslims burned and looted Christian homes in the city of Gorja in a rampage sparked by allegations that a Quran had been defaced. Shooting broke out, and six people were killed, including a child and four women. Two men wounded by gunfire died in the hospital overnight.

‘War not the solution, ready to discuss all issues with India’

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Islamabad, August 02: Pakistan is ready to discuss all outstanding issues, including Kashmir, with India as war is not the solution to any problem, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said.

It is necessary to resolve all issues between India and Pakistan so that the countries could give attention to the problems of the people, he said in an interview to a TV news channel.

Replying to a question about Pakistan’s relations with India, he said Islamabad has always maintained that the ties “should be on the basis of equality”.

–Agencies

Parliament to decide Musharraf’s fate: Gilani

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Islamabad, August 02: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the final decision regarding the fate of former President General Pervez Musharraf would be taken by Parliament.

Commenting on the Supreme Court’s verdict that declared Musharraf’s November 3, 2007 declaration of Emergency as ‘extra-judicial and unconstitutional’, Gilani said Parliament is the appropriate forum to take decisions of national interest.

One dead, 15 injured in Canada stage collapse

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Camrose, August 02: One person was killed and at least 15 were injured after a storm whipped through an outdoor country music festival, causing a stage to collapse.

Strong winds and heavy rain began hitting the Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose, east of Edmonton, around 6.00 pm Saturday, said Camrose Police Chief Darrell Kambeitz. He confirmed the one death and said all 15 injured were taken to hospitals.

Former Iranian president denounces protesters’ trial

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Tehran, August 02: Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami, a key opposition supporter, denounced on Sunday the trial of around 100 people accused of rioting after the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

“As per my information, what was done yesterday is against the Constitution, regular laws and rights of the citizens,” his office quoted him as telling a group of political activists and lawmakers.

He said the court had relied on “confessions taken under certain circumstances which are not valid.”

Police in manhunt for Tel Aviv gay club shooter

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Jerusalem, August 02: Hundreds of police officers were scouring the streets of Tel Aviv on Sunday in a door-to-door manhunt for a gunman who opened fire on a gay youth club.

A masked man entered a club for gay teens late Saturday, pulled out a pistol and shot in all directions, killing two and injuring 11, four seriously, police said.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the man then holstered his pistol and fled the scene by foot to the busy streets of Tel Aviv.

Nitzan Horowitz, Israel’s only openly gay lawmaker, said the attack had all the symptoms of a “hate crime”.

Plane carrying 16 disappears over Indonesian Papua

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Jakarta, August 02: A plane carrying 16 people disappeared over eastern Indonesia on Sunday, an airline official said.

The Twin Otter plane was on a commercial flight in the remote Papua region when it lost contact with ground officials, said Capt Nikmatullah, the director of operations of the airline operating the plane, Merpati Nusantara.

Nikmatullah, who goes by a single name, said no trace had been found of the plane more then four hours after it took off. The aircraft was carrying enough fuel to keep it in the air for 3 1/2 hours, he told Metro TV station.

Malaysia to amend, not repeal, ‘draconian’ detention law

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Kuala Lumpur, August 02: The Malaysian government Sunday said it would amend, but not repeal, the Internal Security Act (ISA) — the preventive detention law the opposition considers draconian.

The government said it would amend the Act but provisions pertaining to national security would be retained after thousands of protesters defied police restrictions and staged demonstrations at several places in the national capital Saturday, demanding that the law be repealed.

Police used water cannons to disperse protesters and detained 238 demonstrators.