Srinagar, August 23: The opposition PDP today appealed to the Centre to initiate an unconditional dialogue within the ambit of humanity to resolve the lingering Kashmir problem.
“The approach adopted by the Centre is unfortunate. It admits Kashmir is a 63-year-old issue but is laying conditions for dialogue,” PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said.
“Why not take the Kashmir problem as a human one and try to resolve it,” she told reporters here.
Hyderabad, August 23: Top Maoist leader Azad, who the Andhra Pradesh police claimed to have killed in an encounter on July 1, was shot from very close range, according to his post-mortem report accessed by Rediff.com’s Krishnakumar Padamanbhan.
Top Maoist leader Azad, alias Cherukuri Rajkumar, who the Andhra Pradesh police claimed to have killed in an encounter in the forests of Adilabad district in Andhra Pradesh, was shot from very close range, probably from less than one foot, according to his post mortem report, accessed by Rediff.com
London, August 24: A video game in which the players pretend to be heavily armed Taliban guerrillas has sparked anger, with British Defence Secretary Liam Fox calling for a ban and a security expert stating that “the Afghanistan campaign isn’t a game – it’s happening”.
The video game is the updated version of “Medal Of Honour” that is scheduled to be available in October. The game allows players to `attack’ brave British Forces in Afghanistan using AK-47 rifles.
Srinagar, August 23: Condemning the deaths of over 60 Kashmiri civilians in firing by security forces, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat said here Monday that stone pelting protests cannot be met with bullets.
Addressing a media conference in the Jammu and Kashmir summer capital, Karat said a CPI-M delegation was in Srinagar to sympathise with the families who have lost their dear ones in the over two months of unrest in the valley.
“We want to tell them (bereaved families) that there are forces in India which condemn such actions,” he said.
Hyderabad, August 23: Telugu film actresses Saira Banu and Jyoti and seven others were caught red-handed in a prostitution racket busted by Hyderabad police here Monday.
Saira, who played lead role in few Telugu films, and Jyoti, a supporting actress in many films, were arrested along with a woman from Uzbekistan and their customers from an apartment in the upscale Kundan Bagh neighborhood.
Islamabad, August 23: At least seven people have been killed and several others injured in a bomb blast in Kurram Agency in northwest Pakistan, a Press TV correspondent reports.
According to officials, a bomb went off in a tribal jirga (council) of local tribesman in Komacha area in Central Kurram Tehsil of Kurram Agency on Monday.
The death toll is expected to rise as most of the injured people are said to be in critical conditions.
—Agencies
Tehran, August 23: Two people have been killed and more than a score more wounded in a series of bombings and militant attacks in the Iraqi capital and the northern city of Hilla.
Two people were wounded on Sunday when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in Zayouna in eastern Baghdad, Aswat al-Iraq news agency quoted security officials as saying.
In a separate incident, the owner of a cell phone store was shot dead in the same area by an armed robber, who was tracked down by the police and arrested shortly afterwards.
Kabul, August 23: Roadside bombs killed two members of the international security force in Afghanistan on Monday, including one American, NATO reported.
The attacks came in the north and south of the country, NATO said. No other information was released immediately in accordance with procedure.
Sukkur, August 23: Pakistan’s worst floods in decades have left millions hungry, the United Nations said on Monday, while parts of the south were on high alert for rising waters that could further tax aid groups.
“We cannot talk about starvation yet but I think we can talk about millions of people being hungry,” Maurizio Giuliano, the UN humanitarian spokesman, told a news agency.
“I think we have millions of people who are hungry, and hunger is clearly a factor that contributes significantly to vulnerability.”
Dushanbe, August 23: Twenty-five Islamic militants serving long jail terms have escaped from a prison in the Central Asian state of Tajikistan that borders Afghanistan, killing five guards, authorities said on Monday.
The inmates broke free late Sunday from a detention centre of Tajikistan’s State Committee of National Security in the capital Dushanbe, attacking guards and seizing their arms, a representative of the committee said.
“As a result, one of the guards was killed, 25 armed inmates escaped from jail, changing into fatigues,” the official said, citing a statement.
New Delhi, August 23: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday assured the Orissa government of faster clearances to various projects facing delays in the state, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said.
Patnaik, facing heat from the Centre over mining projects in his state, met Singh and raised concerns over the delay in environment clearances to projects like the Posco steel project and Vedanta bauxite mining initiative.
“I discussed about Posco and told him (Prime Minister) that work ought not be stopped,” he said.
Srinagar, August 23: Condemning the deaths of over 60 Kashmiri civilians in firing by security forces, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat said here Monday that stone pelting protests cannot be met with bullets.
Addressing a media conference in the Jammu and Kashmir summer capital, Karat said a CPI-M delegation was in Srinagar to sympathise with the families who have lost their dear ones in the over two months of unrest in the valley.
“We want to tell them (bereaved families) that there are forces in India which condemn such actions,” he said.
New Delhi, August 23: The Union cabinet on Monday increased allowances of MPs by Rs. 10, 000 per month.
This will comprise a hike of Rs.5,000 in Constituency allowance and another Rs.5,000 towards office expenses.Both the perks are non-taxable.
Although, the MPs were demanding Rs. 80,001-one rupee more than what a government secretary gets.
Earlier, the salary hike bill was cleared by the Union Cabinet on Friday, as per which the basic salary of MPs will be increased by 300%, from Rs 16, 000 to Rs 50, 000 per month.
New Delhi, August 23: The Intelligence Bureau (IB) on Monday issued an alert regarding Maoists targeting the Home Minister P Chidambaram and about 22 other political leaders.
The IB stated that other than Chidambaram, Home Secreatary G K Pillai, Raman Singh and Naveen Patnaik, few leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party also figures in the hit- list of Naxals.
It said that Maoists are also targeting senior police and government officials.
—Agencies
Srinagar, August 23: One more person succumbed to his injuries in Srinagar on Monday.
The death toll in the unrest that began June 11 has risen to 63 with the death of a person who was injured in firing by security forces in Kashmir Valley.
Restrictions and curfew continued in several towns of the valley. The streets are deserted and most businesses and educational establishments remain shut.
Bilal Ahmad Sheikh, 22, was shot on August 14 in Singhpora village near Pattan town of Baramulla district of Srinagar, during clashes between the security forces and stone pelting mobs.
Mumbai, August 23; The rupee on Monday appreciated by 5 paise to 46.62 a dollar at the Interbank Foreign Exchange market in early trade on capital inflows by foreign funds.
Dealers said fresh capital inflows into equities by foreign funds kept the rupee sentiment firm. Firming Asian currencies against the dollar also provided some support to the rupee.
The rupee had ended 12 paise lower at 46.67/68 against the dollar in the previous session.
Meanwhile, the Bombay Stock Exchange index, Sensex rose by 43.25 points, or 0.24 per cent, to 18,445.07 points in opening trade on Monday.
Washington, August 23: Arjun Atwal on Sunday made India proud by being the first Indian golfer to win on the US PGA tour by capturing Wyndham Championship.
He defeated American David Toms (64) by one stroke in the final round.
Atwal, who resides in Orlando is the sixth Asian born player to win on the PGA tour. He is also the first Monday qualifier to win on the PGA tour in last 24 years.
He expressed immense happiness over the victory. Atwal added that it’s a dream come true for him.
Mumbai, August 23: Anil Kapoor, who has been extremely successful in his Bollywood innings and is still kicking, shared with us the projects he is currently involved with and his experience of working in West.
“This small screen (’24’) was bigger than the big screen that I have done in India. It was bigger than the biggest that I’ve ever done,” Anil, who played a game show host in “Slumdog Millionaire” that fetched him international visibility, told the reporters.
Hyderabad, August 23: Police today arrested a fake Naxalite and two of his associates on charge of extortion. Commissioner’s Task Force arrested Mohd Rafiuddin alias Zakir, a self-styled District Commander of PWG (operating in the name of Ramesh Anna) and his associates Mohd Jaffer and Mohd Majid Ali, who have allegedly extorted money from contractors, builders, businessmen and rich persons in the state.
Hyderabad, August 23: Andhra Pradesh is in for another green revolution in recent years, with agriculture production likely to touch a record 210 metric tonnes during 2010-11.
Chief Minister K. Rosaiah, in a teleconference with ministers and bureaucrats on Sunday, said: “Thanks to the copious rains during the monsoon season, the area of cultivation in the state stands at a healthy 65.11 hectares against the normal 60.06 hectares. This means that the state would be in a position to contribute substantially to the food security mission in the country.”
New York, August 23: The proposed mosque near ground zero drew hundreds of fever-pitch demonstrators Sunday, with opponents carrying signs associating Islam with blood, supporters shouting, ‘Say no to racist fear!’ and American flags waving on both sides.
Police separated the two groups but there were some nose-to-nose confrontations, including a man and a woman screaming at each other across a barricade under a steady rain.
Dubai, August 23: Multilingual publications about Islam will be distributed to build a bridge between local people and Muslims from other countries settled in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) will distribute 20,000 packets containing booklets and CDs to public and private organisations in Dubai and an additional 30,000 booklets and 10,000 CDs in English and Urdu to non-Arabic speakers in the Emirates.
The programme will target public, non-profit, private organisations, hospitals, shopping malls, parks and sports clubs.
Mumbai, August 23: Over the weekend, Bollywood websites and blogs went into a tizzy with reports of a “Soha Ali Khan waxing MMS scandal” video.
Apparently, Saif’s little sis underwent a bikini wax session at a beauty salon recently. Unknown to her, there were cameras strategically placed in the room that recorded her in various states of undress and in some scenes, from close quarters, says the report.
She didn’t know…
Dhaka, August 23: A court in Bangladesh court has ruled that people should not be forced to wear Islamic regalia, such as skull caps, veils or other religious clothing.
The court has said workplaces, schools and colleges should be protected from any order that imposes the wearing of religious attire.
The ruling from the Bangladesh High Court also provides for women to be allowed to participate in sports and cultural activities.
It asked authorities to explain why the prevention of girls taking part in sports and cultural activities should not be made illegal.
Washington, August 22: It would take “a complete failure” of the Iraqi security forces for the US to resume combat operations there, the top American commander in Iraq said as the final US fighting forces prepared to leave the country.
With a major military milestone in sight, Gen Ray Odierno said in interviews broadcast on Sunday that any resumption of combat duties by American forces is unlikely.
“We don’t see that happening,” Odierno said. The Iraqi security forces have been doing “so well for so long now that we really believe we’re beyond that point”.