Month: August 2010

US man held for planning to join terror group

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Washington, August 06: A US citizen, allegedly travelling to Somalia to join terrorist groups like Al Qaeda to participate in “jihad” and suicide attacks targeting “infidels”, was arrested hours before his departure.Masri (26) who lived in Streeterville area of Chicago, was arrested yesterday in Illinois, without incident, by members of Chicago FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force following an 18-month investigation, US Justice Department said in a statement.

Shoot-at-sight orders in Karachi

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Karachi, August 06: Authorities have issued shoot-at-sight orders as ethnic violence triggered by the assassination of a politician in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi entered its fifth day, taking the death toll to 85.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik has issued orders to the law enforcing agencies to shoot terrorists at sight in order to control the growing wave of targeted killings, and violence that have claimed 85 lives in the last four days, Pakistan Tribune reported.

Haryana scientists develop milk-testing kit

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Chandigarh, August 06: An innovative ‘milk urea detection kit’ has been developed by the scientists of the Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (CCSHAU) in Haryana’s Hisar town, the university’s vice chancellor K.S. Khokhar announced Friday.

Khokhar said that with this kit, milk could be checked for the presence of urea in it – even at home.

Cops summon top PFI leaders in chopping case

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Muvattupuzha (Kerala), August 06: Kerala Police have summoned two top leaders of the radical Muslim group Popular Front of India in connection with the case of a college professor’s hand being chopped off for allegedly preparing a question paper derogatory to Prophet Mohammed.

P. Abdul Hameed and Ashraf Moulavi have been asked to appear before the police Monday. Fifteen activists of PFI have been arrested for the July 4 attack on T.J. Joseph., a Malayalam teacher at the New Man College Thodupuzha. He is on bail for preparing the alleged inflammatory question paper.

Scientists: 5.6-magnitude quake strikes Indonesia

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Jakarta, August 06: A moderate 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck the Indonesian province of Maluku on Friday, the local Meteorological and Geophysics agency said, but no tsunami warning was issued.

The quake struck at 3:58 pm (4:58pm local time), 317 kilometres northwest of Saumlaki at a depth of 10 kilometres, according to the agency.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific “ring of fire”, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.
–Agencies

If my leaders dont want me, I will quit: Kalmadi

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New Delhi, August 06: Suresh Kalmadi today ruled out stepping down as Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Chairman in the wake of corruption allegations but said he would quit if asked to by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or Sonia Gandhi.

He said his first priority was to make a success of the Games and “will not run away from responsibility” but would quit after the event if anything was found against him.

Woman commits suicide after poisoning three daughters

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Gaya (Bihar), August 06: Driven by abject poverty, a 28-year-old woman allegedly committed suicide after administering poison to her three daughters at Jungali Bigha in Gaya district late last night.

Meena Devi, wife of Shivpujan Yadav, fed her little daughters Sulekha (6), Rekha (3) and Bhuchua (2) poison-laced food before consuming it herself, police said today.

All the four died while being taken to a hospital here.
–PTI

Cong attacks BJP for portraying Sonia as “witch”

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New Delhi, August 06: The Congress today attacked BJP in Chhattisgarh for portraying its chief Sonia Gandhi as a “witch” in a cartoon on price rise, saying it has crossed the “limits of decency”.

“We always say that sometimes BJP and its associated groups cross the limits of decency. If you want to criticise the government on price rise, you are welcome but making it personal and attacking individuals is shameful. This shows that more than price rise, they are interested in doing politics,” Congress leader Sandeep Dixit said here.

Triple talaq is a wrongful innovation, Mullahs admits

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New Delhi, August 06: How does the women’s jamaat engage with issues related to patriarchal interpretations of Islam? Does it also seek to engage in the debate about Islam and women and promote a more gender-sensitive approach to Islamic law as it relates to women?

Besides trying to address the domestic problems of Muslim women and seeking to empower them economically, we feel it is imperative to try and promote gender consciousness among them. One way to do so is by networking with other Muslim women’s groups who are engaged in developing what is now called Islamic Feminism.

Mumbai attacks bared LeT’s global ambitions: US report

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Washington, August 06: With the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai revealing Lashkar-e-Taeba’s (LeT) global ambitions, the Pakistan-based terror outfit remains a serious threat to Western interests too, says a new US report on global terrorism.

“Since the 2008 Mumbai attack, analysts have deepening concern that it could evolve into a genuine global threat,” the report released Thursday warned noting Pakistan’s lack of action against those responsible for the attacks had stalled India-Pakistan peace talks.

An 800-year-old museum in war-torn Gaza

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Gaza, August 06: An 800-year-old house in Gaza is being turned into a museum, which will house a massive collection of 1,300 coins belonging to different ancient civilisations.

Marwan Shahwan, owner of the house in Khan Younis city in southern Gaza strip, says the museum is “an individual effort”.

The 165-sq-metre museum includes antiques dating back to Roman, Byzantine, Islamic and Palestinian eras, reports Xinhua.

Full of inscriptions, beautiful geometric designs and ancient coins, the museum also has traditional dresses worn by Palestinian women before 1948.

‘What we are demanding is our Quranic right’

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Chennai, August 06: Based in Pudukkottai, a small town in Tamil Nadu, Daud Sharifa Khanum heads the Tamil Nadu Muslim Women’s Jamaat, a network of some 25,000 Tamil Muslim women working for Muslim women’s rights and empowerment. She has been widely acknowledged for her pioneering work, for which has received numerous national-level awards. Khanum is also planning to start India’s first women’s mosque.

In an interview with Yoginder Sikand, Khanum speaks about work and the manifold problems facing Indian Muslim women.

Could you briefly describe your background?

Jamia gives free coaching to civil service aspirants

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New Delhi, August 06: Jamia Millia Islamia Friday invited applications for free coaching from civil service aspirants belonging to minority communities, Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

The coaching classes, which started in 1984, get more than 500 applications every year from all over the country.

“Out of more than 500 applications, we select 50 candidates on the basis of the entrance test,” said an official from the Centre for Coaching and Career Planning (CCCP), Jamia Milia Islamia.

BJP’s Muslim leaders are like Jaichand and Mir Jafar

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Patna, August 06: Referring to Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Muslim leaders as Jaichand and Mir Jafar, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) general secretary Tariq Anwar Friday said they enjoy no better position than the backstabbers in history.

“The Muslim leaders in the saffron party not only lack support of their community but are also playing the role of Jaichand and Mir Jafar for self political gains,” Anwar said two days after BJP’s Shahnawaz Hussain claimed that his party was not “untouchable” for the Muslims.

Don’t delay the next try after a miscarriage, women warned

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London, August 06: After the trauma of a miscarriage many women take a break to recover before they begin to try again for a baby. But they may in fact be increasing their risk of having another pregnancy with complications.

Women who conceive within six months of a miscarriage have the best chance of a healthy pregnancy with the lowest likelihood of another miscarriage, the Daily Mail quoted a British study as saying.

Shortage of 1.2 million teachers, says Sibal

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New Delhi, August 06: Admitting a shortage of 1.2 million teachers in the country, the Centre today asked the states to cooperate with it to fill the vacancies.

“There is a shortfall of 1.2 million teachers in the country. Why don’t states recruit teachers? In many states there is a huge backlog. It is a collaborative exercise,” HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said in the Rajya Sabha.

He said during Question Hour that in Bihar alone there is a backlog of 1,00,696 teachers against 2,68,841 sanctioned posts.

The moment he gave the figures, Congress members started shouting “Shame, Shame.”

NCW conducting study on honour killings

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New Delhi, August 06: The National Commission for Women (NCW) has commissioned a research study on honour killings in Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath told parliament Friday.

“A study has been commenced on honour killings in two states and the findings would be known after the completion of the study,” Krishna Tirath told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

The government is in the final stages of preparing a bill on honour killings to curb the social menace.
–IANS

Parents given a month to claim three babies

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Kuala Lumpur, August 06: Please come and claim your babies within 30 days or they will be put up for adoption.

The district welfare department here is trying to locate the parents of these three babies allegedly abandoned after being delivered at a government hospital and a private clinic near here.

If the biological parents cannot be traced within 30 days, the babies would be put up for adoption, said Central Seberang Prai district welfare department child protector Mohamad Zarir Mohamad Khozali.

Baby girl has pink blood

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Beijing, August 06: A premature baby girl in Hubei Children’s Hospital surprised the medical staff when her blood turned out to be pink in colour, instead of red.

A report in media said that the 40-day-old infant had appeared to be in healthy condition at a local hospital when she was one-week-old.

However, she displayed some symptoms of illness about two weeks later and was transferred to Hubei, where her blood was discovered to be pink in colour.

The girl was diagnosed with hyperlipidemia, a lung infection, anemia and retinopathy.

Babri Masjid case: Hearing on Sept 13

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Faizabad, August 06: The next hearing in the Babri Mosque demolition case has been fixed on September 13 by a special court on Friday against remaining 23 out of the total 49 accused.

Special ADJ (Ayodhya Prakran) Vireendra Kumar directed all of them, including the then Faizabad district magistrate and some Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, to appear before it then.

Dont leave to Iraq to wolves: Saddam’s aide

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London, August 06: Iraq will be left “to the wolves” if US withdraws its troops from the country, said Saddam Hussein’s right-hand man Tariq Aziz who is currently lodged in an Iraqi prison. He added: “When you make a mistake you need to correct a mistake, not leave Iraq to its death.”

Aziz told The Guardian that he has been in jail for the past seven years and four months, “but did I commit a crime against any civilian, military or religious man? The answer is no.”

Baghdad fell in April 2003 after Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein was toppled.

Explosion heard in Iraqi capital

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Baghdad, August 06: An explosion has been heard in Baghdad’s northern district of Azamiah as Iraq faces its toughest days during the nine-year US-led invasion.

The blast occurred in the commercial center of the district on Friday, witnesses told Media.

There have been no reports of casualties as yet.

Iraq has been under daily attacks and bombings since the United States and its western allies invaded the country in 2003.

Countless number of civilians have been killed and injured and forced to flee their homes to save their lives.

Israel getting ready for ‘future wars’

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Jerusalem, August 06: A recent Israeli military helicopter crash in Romania reveals that Tel Aviv has operated other air exercises in European countries to prepare for “future wars.”

An article published on Israeli media outlet Ynet on Thursday said that the European states “never know what hides behind the training sessions held” in their territories.

Hungary, Romania, Greece, Italy and Germany are among the locations where the Israeli Air Force has held military drills so far.

BJP uses Sonia cartoon to target price rise

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Raipur, August 06: Opposition Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh are fuming after the ruling BJP’s in-house monthly magazine Deep Kamal published a controversial cover-page cartoon with striking resemblance to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, portraying her as a daayan or a witch.

Gadkari takes up cause of Waqf land‎

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New Delhi, August 06: Wooing the Muslim youth into the BJP seems to be one of the goals set by party chief Nitin Gadkari. In his words, he wants to build a cadre of around 20,000 Muslim BJP activists who, he believes, will work to dispel the perception that the party is anti-Muslim.

And Gadkari, it seems, has begun his attempt to win over Muslims. He has taken up the issue of encroachment of Waqf properties spread across the country and has written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, seeking steps to end misappropriation of the multi-crore Waqf land.