Dubai, July 09: A Russian woman landed behind bars after she was convicted of going on a clubbing spree using a forged Uzbek passport to pick up potential sex clients.
The Dubai Court of First Instance recently jailed the 20-year-old Russian woman visitor for three months after she was found guilty of working in the sex trade.
The judge said the accused, identified as V.B., will be deported after serving her punishment.
Hyderabad, July 09: The Andhra Pradesh government today constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM) to review the status and steps taken to control the spread of malaria and swine flu in the state.
Medical Education Minister P Sudharshan Reddy, Danam Nagender, Minister for Health, B Satyanarayana, Minister for Panchayat Raj, Anam Raamanarayana Reddy, Minister for Municipal Administration and P Balaraju, Minister for Tribal Welfare are the members of the GoM.
The word Me’raj (Ascent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH) is derived from ‘Urooj’, which means ‘height’, ‘ascension’. It occurs in holy Hadith. The Quranic word for the event is ‘Israa’, meaning ‘the journey’. The event is briefly mentioned in the Qur’an, its details provided by Hadith. ‘Shab-e-Me’raj’ means the ‘Night of Ascent’. It is the blessed night when the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was taken very close to the Throne of Allah with utmost nearness to Him. After having drunk fully at the Divine Fountain of spiritual knowledge he came down to the earth.
Washington, July 09: Days before French lawmakers are due to vote on a bill that would make it illegal for Muslim women to wear full veils in public, a US poll has found that a majority of Europeans back such a ban while Americans reject it.
The French overwhelmingly endorse a ban on Muslim face coverings, also known as the burqa or the niqab, as do majorities in Britain, Germany and Spain, a survey conducted by the Washington-based Pew Research Center?s Global Attitudes Project found.
Mumbai, July 09: Ramchandra Kalsangra, alias Ramji, a key suspect in the bomb blasts in Hyderabad, Ajmer and Malegaon, apparently cast his vote in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections in his home town of Shajapur near Indore in Madhya Pradesh even though he was on the run from investigators for months.
Kalsangra, who is suspected to be one of the main bomb-makers and planters in all three blasts that investigators now believe is the work of Hindu extremists, had been missing since the September 2008 Malegaon blast was cracked and blamed on members of a shadowy group called Abhinav Bharat.
New York, July 09: Celebrities have condemned Iran over its plans to execute a woman by stoning.
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, 43, has already spent five years in prison and received 99 lashes for her alleged adultery.
She now faces death in what campaigners call an “appalling and barbaric” way.
Actors Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Robert Redford and Juliette Binoche have signed up to a campaign calling for her release.
Iran is also facing pressure from Western governments, including Britain, which has said the woman’s death would “disgust and appal the watching world”.
Dhaka, July 08: In order to check the rising incidents of cellphone crimes including extortion, Bangladesh’s Government is to formulate a policy that would ban its sale to youths under 18, officials reports said today.
“We are framing a policy to be enforced in next two months to curb the crimes and misuse of cell phones,” Home Minister Sahara Khatun told reporters after an inter-ministerial meeting also joined by mobile phone operators yesterday.
New Delhi, July 08: Viewing with concern the curbs on media by the Jammu and Kashmir government, the India chapter of the South Asia media commission today asked authorities to restore normal functioning of journalists in the violence-hit state with immediate effect.
“The restrictions of the type announced yesterday will only prove counter-productive. As we know from our experience of the emergency period, it will not serve any useful purpose either in the immediate or long-term context,” Chairperson of the India chapter of South Asia commission K K Katyal said in a statement here.
Washington, July 08: US President Barack Obama today said that he would soon present three controversial trade agreements with South Korea, Panama and Columbia to the Congress for consideration.
Obama made an announcement in this regard when he laid down his plan to double the US export in the next five years, for which he announced a reconstituted President’s Export Council to be headed by Boeing CEO Ursula Burns.
New Delhi, July 08: The government is rushing almost 800 personnel of central security forces to J&K to maintain law and order, even as curfew was clamped in more areas of the valley which witnessed stray attempts at violence as the Army carried out a flag march in Srinagar for the second day today.
According to sources, the eight companies drawn from CRPF and BSF will be sent in a day or two to the Kashmir valley.
The Army had yesterday moved 17 columns (about 1,700 personnel) into various parts of the city to assist the civil administration in maintaining law and order.
Mumbai, July 08: Suspended Indian Premier League Commissioner Lalit Modi today moved the Bombay High Court against BCCI’s decision to suspend him and prayed for quashing of the disciplinary proceedings of the Board against him.
In his petition, moved through his constituted attorney Mehmood Abdi, Modi also prayed that the court appoint a mutually acceptable and independent person or panel to consider his replies to the three show-cause notices issued to him by the Board alleging various irregularities in the conduct of the T20 League.
New Delhi, July 08: Food inflation fell to 12.63 per cent for the week ended June 26 on cheaper potatoes and onions, but it brought little relief to consumers as fuel inflation shot up to 18.02 per cent, keeping the pressure on overall prices.
Food inflation was at 12.92 per cent and fuel inflation at 12.09 per cent in the previous week.
Describing the rise in fuel inflation as expected, D K Joshi, Chief Economist of Crisil, said, “This will be reflected in the overall inflation figures for July, if not June.”
Mumbai, July 08: Scotching speculation about seeking additional ministerial berths for NCP, Sharad Pawar today said he had asked the Prime Minister to reduce the number of his existing portfolios to focus on strengthening his party.
Pawar, who had fuelled speculation of a Cabinet reshuffle after he asked the Prime Minister to ‘reduce his burden’, dismissed suggestion that he had sought ministerial berths for his MP daughter Supriya Sule and other party leaders.
New Delhi, July 08: The Supreme Court has said there was a general perception that India would not have figured prominently as one of the most corrupt nations if senior government officers ensured that public grievances are addressed without demanding bribes.
“The feeling of a common man that when the work is entrusted to different persons and bribe is demanded by one of them when all are invariably in collusion, cannot be lost sight of.
Bangalore, July 08: Kerala PDP leader Abdul Naseer Madani, an accused in the 2008 Bangalore blasts case, today sought anticipatory bail on the grounds there was “no prima facie case” against him.
When the plea came for hearing before fast track court sessions judge Srikanth Watavatagi, Madani contended there was no prima facie case against him as it was based on a statement of a co-accused and also because none of the accused had named him as being part of the conspiracy.
Sydney, July 08: Ross Emerson, the Australian umpire who in 1999 called Muttiah Murlitharan for chucking, feels the Sri Lankan spin wizard doesn’t deserve to hold the record of highest wicket-taker in Tests.
Muralitharan is set to retire as the most prolific bowler in Tests with 792 wickets, after the first Test against India at Galle beginning July 18.
New Delhi, July 08: Four men have been arrested here for trying to sell an elephant tusk weighing six kg and worth around Rs.12 lakh, police said Thursday.
They were apprehended near Raj Ghat in central Delhi Wednesday following a tip off. The accused have been identified as Dinesh Gupta, 38, Mahender Singh, 38, Brahm Singh, 56, and Rashid Malik 21, a senior police officer said.
“Officers of the wild life department were called to the spot who inspected the seized material and opined that it was a tusk used for preparing medicines, ornaments and decorative items,” the officer added.
Srinagar, July 08: Curfew was clamped in more areas of the Kashmir Valley which witnessed stray attempts at violence as the Army carried out a flag march in Srinagar for the second day today.
Simultaneously, Centre sent out a tough message that “anti-nationals and vested interests” creating unrest in the valley would be dealt with sternly.
If the situation remains peaceful, authorities may relax curfew for a few hours tomorrow and on Saturday to allow people to participate in religious prayers.
Kochi, July 08: Police continued to investigate the possibility that Rear Admiral S S Jamwal may have committed suicide although the navy has maintained it is an accidental death.
Police sources said that the bullet that fatally hit Jamwal in a naval firing range here yesterday entered his head just above his right ear and exited just above the left ear, strengthening police suspicion it could be a suicide.
Police is investigating the case as unnatural death and said they were looking into two theories–suicide and accident.
Kolkata, July 08: The opposition Trinamool Congress walked out of the West Bengal assembly for the second consecutive day today after Speaker H A Halim rejected their demand for a privilege motion against Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
The TC members, who entered the House at the fag end of question hour, rushed to the Speaker’s podium, after their demand for privilege motion was rejected by him.
They shouted slogans against Halim and dubbed him an ‘agent of CPI(M)’.
Hyderabad, July 08: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah today said Congress would take stock of the manner in which Kadapa MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy was conducting his yatra in Srikakulam district.
Talking to newsmen here, Rosaiah said he would not be sending any report to the party high command on Jagan’s ‘Odarpu yatra’.
When pointed out that the campaign was being conducted in a pompous manner in contravention of the party directive, he said he had no information about it as he was busy with the Assembly business.
New Delhi, July 08: Involvement of hardline separatists in engineering some of the violence in the Kashmir valley is indicated by an intercepted conversation between two of them during which they discussed killing of at least 15 people in a procession near Srinagar yesterday.
A large procession had started in Budgam district on the outskirts of Srinagar in the evening and two senior office-bearers of the hardline Hurriyat faction led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani discussed how to utilise it to create casualties, according to the transcript of the conversation available with the Home Ministry.
Mau (UP), July 08: One more person was today taken into custody in connection with the murder of former MLA and Samajwadi Party leader Kapildev Yadav, the third arrest in the case.
Manoj Rai, a former block head, was arrested on the basis of information provided by two other accused arrested yesterday, Superintendent of Police Omkar Singh told reporters here.
Ankur Rai and Ravi Singh were arrested yesterday after they appeared before the State Human Rights Commission and confessed their involvement in the killing.
Srinagar, July 08: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has convened an all party meeting on Monday to discuss the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting, which will take place on July 12 afternoon, will be preceded by another meeting of legislators of coalition partners National Conference and Congress on Sunday.
Indefinite curfew has been imposed in several towns, including Srinagar, in the Kashmir Valley following days of violent protests by people and subsequent firing by security forces which led to the death of several people
–Agencies
New Delhi, July 08: As part of Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Mission 2012’ to regain power in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress today decided to launch an early election campaign focusing on the alleged “institutionalised corruption” of the Mayawati government.
“We will start by preparing a charge sheet on corruption in the UP government on December 28 this year. We will prepare booklets and distribute it in each of the assembly constituencies,” AICC General Secretary in-charge of the state Digvijay Singh told reporters here.