Month: March 2010

‘Innocent’ Kasab has been framed: Defence Layer

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Mumbai, March 26: The Mumbai Police are lying, the prosecution is lying, the CCTV footage and DNA tests are lying, and even the 10-year-old witness is lying; the only person who is truthful is Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, an “innocent” Pakistani boy. This is what the Pakistani terrorist’s lawyer KP Pawar said in his final arguments in the 26/11 trial on Thursday.

According to the defence lawyer, the prosecution wanted to show the world that Pakistan was involved in the Mumbai attacks and implicated the only “readily available Pakistani national in jail”.

No N-deal with Pak, no Kashmir mediation: Hillary

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Washington, March 26: In a blatant snub to Pakistan, the United States on Wednesday gave the cold shoulder to two of Islamabad’s pet peeves – an India-type civil nuclear deal and mediation on Kashmir.

The US has cleared that Pakistan’s hopes for a nuclear deal are not feasible.

Addressing a joint press conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at the end of the first of two days of a high-level strategic dialogue between Islamabad and Washington, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cleared that such a deal is out of the question.

Can’t order probe on corrupt politicians: SC

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New Delhi, March 26: The Supreme Court today held that it cannot direct probe against politicians facing corruption charges, saying the onus was on investigating agencies.

“This court cannot sit in judgment over whether investigations should be launched against politicians for alleged acts of corruption,” a three Judge Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishanan said refusing to direct CBI probe into the alleged disproportionate assets case against Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling.

PRP for independent probe on attack on party activists

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Hyderabad, March 26: The Praja Rajyam Party has requested the Andhra Pradesh government to conduct an independent inquiry into the attack on their party activists allegedly by the staffers of a local news channel between March 20 and 23.

In a letter to Chief Minister K Rosaiah here today, the PRP MLAs, led by party chief Chiranjeevi, also sought protection to them from the ABN Andhra Jyothy Telugu news channel staff and demanded that a criminal case be registered against its managing director V Radhakrishna.

‘LeT out to fill gap of diminished al-Qaida’

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New Delhi, March 26: The US said that the Mumbai attacks had shown that Lashkar-e-Taiba was out to “fill the gap” created by a “diminished al-Qaeda” and a “decisive” action was needed from all countries of South Asia including Pakistan to defeat it.

US Coordinator on Counter-Terrorism Dan Benjamin said the aim of securing the world would remain incomplete unless LeT is defeated.

Three arrested for cheating job seekers in Hyderabad

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Hyderabad, March 26: Three persons were arrested by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) here for allegedly cheating jobseekers to the tune of lakhs of rupees by promising them lucrative jobs, police said today.

K Venugopal, after completing his MCA, floated ‘Skill Bank Consultancy’ and along with his wife and three others collected resumes of jobseekers and sent fake offer letters as if they were issued from reputed companies by collecting amounts ranging to Rs 1-1.5 lakh per candidate, a senior CID officer said.

VIP convoy crash kills 5

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Hyderabad, March 26: Five persons, including four women, were killed after an escort car in Union minister of state for defence M.M. Pallam Raju’s convoy hit an autorickshaw in Andhra Pradesh today, police said.

Seven persons, including three policemen in the escort vehicle, were injured, with one of them said to be critical, the police said. The minister, travelling in another car in the convoy, was not hurt, the police said.

Our stand has been vindicated: K Rosaiah

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Hyderabad, March 26: Andhra Pradesh chief minister K Rosaiah today said his government’s stand on reservation for Muslims has been vindicated by the Supreme Court permitting it to provide reservation in jobs and education for backward members of the community.

The apex court stayed the high court judgment that nullified the 4% reservation foreconomically- backward Muslims in the state.

“I am happy. I am quite satisfied. Our stand has been vindicated,” Rosaiah said in a statement, reacting to the Supreme Court’s interim order on the issue.

Muslim clerics demand quota for entire community

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New Delhi, March 26: Muslims on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court’s order, but some clerics from the community sought quota for the entire community.

A similar reservation should be provided to Muslim women as part of the Women’s Reservation Bill, he said.

In Lucknow, ‘naib imam’ and member, All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali, said: “Four per cent reservation is too less. It should be extended to the whole community and not for certain castes. Islam does not recognise the caste system.”

Pope faces fresh claims of child sex abuse cover-up

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Washington, March 26: Pope Benedict XVI faced fresh pedophilia cover-up claims as church files suggested he failed to take action against a US priest accused of molesting up to 200 deaf boys.

The documents obtained by The New York Times include correspondence between the accused priest, who worked at a school for deaf children in the US state of Wisconsin, and the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 1996.

Synagogue in Lebanon rises from ashes

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Beirut, March 25: The Magen Abraham synagogue, in the heart of downtown Beirut, is bustling with renovations. Workmen are busy returning this 80-year-old place of worship to its former splendour, although the local Jewish community has dwindled dramatically – from over 22,000 prior to 1958 to less than 300 by the end of the 1975-90 civil war.

None of the political parties, not even Hezbollah, has objected to the reconstruction of the synagogue.

Lebanon’s archaeological sites a pillager’s paradise

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Lebanon, March 25: For three decades Abu Nayef has been digging for treasure from Lebanon’s rich archaeological past, but instead of museums his finds end up in the hands of unscrupulous traders around the globe.

In the eastern town of Baalbeck, home to some of the world’s most beautiful Roman temples, scavengers like Abu Nayef have made careers of unearthing ancient treasure for sale to the highest bidder.

“I know that these are historical artifacts, but much of the time I don’t know their exact value,” Abu Nayef admitted in his garden in Baalbeck.

Abu Dhabi holds international calligraphy contest

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Abu Dhabi, March 25: The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) announced its support of the 8th International Calligraphy Competition, which is organised by the International Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA), dedicated to the memory of renowned master of calligraphy the late Syrian Badawi al-Dirani.

ADACH organizes Heritage and Education Symposium

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Abu Dhabi, March 25: The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) is organizing the Fourth International Heritage Symposium under the title “Heritage and Education: A Future Vision”, from 29 March – April 1, 2010.

Rock and Roll Jihad

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Chicago, March 25: A bearer of hope, Pakistani American rock star Salman Ahmad’s recent memoir, Rock & Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star’s Revolution, is suffused with the warmth of spirituality and the author’s deep-rooted faith in God. “We can only wake up each day and go out and plough the fields, armed with our God-consciousness and a clear awareness of the purpose of our individual life,” he writes.

Mitchell, Netanyahu meet as US-Israeli row lingers

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Washington, March 25: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu huddled in his Washington hotel with US envoy George Mitchell Wednesday, but there was no sign of progress in a row threatening Middle East peace talks.

The talks took place after two meetings between President Barack Obama and the Israeli leader at the White House late Tuesday, which officials said failed to ease disagreements over illegal Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and other issues.

Gates: Israeli-Palestinian tensions hurt US interests

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Washington, March 25: Israeli-Palestinian tensions are affecting US national security interests in the region, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.

His comments at a news conference came amid US frustration with Israel over its announced plans to expand illegal settlements in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian East Jerusalem, which Washington says hurts Mideast peace efforts.

“The lack of progress toward Middle East peace is clearly an issue that’s exploited by our adversaries in the region” and “does affect US national security interests in the region,” Gates said

Iraq orders its FM to quit Arab summit

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Sirte, March 25: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has ordered Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari to quit an Arab summit in protest at a meeting this week between Libyan leader Moamer Gathafi and Iraqi opposition figures, a top Arab diplomat said on Thursday.

Zebari was in the Libyan Mediterranean city of Sirte to attend a meeting of Arab foreign ministers and to represent Iraq at a summit on Saturday and Sunday when he was told to pack up and go home, the diplomat said.

UN rights body passes Islamophobia resolution

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Geneva, March 25: The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday passed a resolution condemning Islamaphobic behaviour, including Switzerland’s minaret building ban, despite some states’ major reservations.

The resolution “strongly condemns… the ban on the construction of minarets of mosques and other recent discriminatory measures.”

In a November referendum Swiss citizens voted to ban the construction of new minarets, a move that drew criticisms worldwide.

Kuwaiti minister survives no-confidence vote

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Kuwait City, March 25: Kuwait Information and Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah al-Sabah on Thursday survived a no-confidence vote filed against him on allegations his inaction against media risked national unity.

Twenty-three MPs voted for the minister, 22 against and three members abstained in the motion which needed 25 votes to oust him from office.

Only elected MPs who are not cabinet members are allowed to vote on such motions.

US drone raids could land CIA officers in court

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Washington, March 25: The US government’s refusal to offer a legal rationale for using unmanned drones to kill suspects in Pakistan and elsewhere could result in CIA officers facing prosecution for war crimes in foreign courts, a legal expert has told lawmakers.

“Prominent voices in the international legal community” were increasingly impatient with Washington’s silence on the CIA’s bombing raids in Pakistan and elsewhere, Kenneth Anderson, a law professor at American University, told a congressional panel on Tuesday.

Ahmadinejad: West – not Iran – has nuclear bombs

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Tehran, March 25: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday accused Western countries of stirring up a “fuss” about Tehran’s nuclear programme.

“They are saying we are worried that Iran may be building a bomb,” Ahmadinejad said in a speech at the inauguration of a new dam in southwest Iran that was broadcast on state television.

“But we are saying you have built it and even used it. So who should be worried? We or you? They are just making a fuss. They have ended up humiliating themselves.”

China: ‘diplomatic means’ are way forward on Iran

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Beijing, March 25: China on Thursday called for continued dialogue to resolve the standoff over Iran’s nuclear programme, after it took part in six-way talks on possible new sanctions against Tehran.

“China urges all sides to use diplomatic means to peacefully resolve the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiation,” foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters.

“This is the best choice and it conforms to the interests of all sides as well as peace and stability in the region.”

Lebanon to attend Arab summit in Libya

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Beirut, March 25: Lebanon’s ambassador to Egypt will attend the Arab summit in Libya after President Michel Sleiman decided not to go amid a spat over the suspected disappearance there of a prominent Lebanese cleric, the government said on Wednesday.

The cabinet “unanimously agreed that Khaled Ziyadeh, Lebanon’s ambassador to Cairo and representative to the Arab League, will represent Lebanon at the Arab summit” on Saturday and Sunday, Information Minister Tarek Mitri told reporters.

Syria stands ready if Israeli ‘war is imposed’

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Beirut, March 25: Damascus stands ready if “war is imposed” by Israel as regional tensions rise and hopes for peace fade, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told Lebanese television Wednesday.

“We are faced with an enemy that has shown until this day that it understands nothing but the language of force, and it seems that peace in the region is not in the horizon,” Assad said in an interview in Arabic with the pro-Hezbollah Al-Manar television late Wednesday.