Chennai, June 01: An alert was sounded at both the domestic and international airports here following a bomb threat call received at the Bangalore airport early today.
Sources at the airport said that the CISF, which provides the security cover, has been alerted following the bomb threat call.
———PTI
London, June 01: Jonathan Trott’s run-scoring feats during the past 12 months were recognised when he was named England’s cricketer of the year by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) at a ceremony at Lord’s here.
The award, voted for by the British cricket media, is given to the player who has had the greatest impact upon England’s performances from the start of the 2010 international season until the end of the World Cup.
Toronto, June 01: An Indian-origin teenage student has been shot dead in Toronto, police said. Fifteen-year-old Andrew Naidoo was shot by unknown assailants in his west-end Toronto townhouse complex late Sunday night. He succumbed to his injuries early Monday.
The teenager is the youngest murder victim in Toronto this year.
“This hole that was made will never be filled. He’s like a son to many neighbouring mothers. Andrew loved his family. (He) is his mom’s baby and nothing will change that,” the victim’s family said in a statement.
Washington, June 01: The alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, will be tried in a military commission at the Guantanamo Bay terrorist detention center along with four suspected co-conspirators, the Pentagon said.
“The prosecutors have recommended that the charges against all five of the accused be referred as capital. Capital charges may only be pursued with the convening authority’s approval,” a Pentagon statement said.
Washington, June 01: While the US cleared billions of dollars’ worth arms sales to Pakistan for the fight against terror, including advanced F 16 fighters, it refused the sale of a crucial advanced missile technology due to concerns that it could be used to target India. A request by Islamabad to procure an advanced Harpoon missile system was turned down in 2009 after Washington determined that it would threaten India, latest diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks reveal.
New Delhi, June 01: India and Pakistan today inched forward in their talks on Siachen saying it has enhanced understanding of each other’s position and agreed to continue the discussions in a meaningful and result-oriented manner.
At the end of the two day-long talks between their Defence Secretaries, the two sides came out with a one-page joint statement. This was interpreted by officials as an indication of “some progress” towards resolution of boundary demarcation on Siachen.
Islamabad, June 01: The Pakistan government on Tuesday formed a commission to probe the killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a covert United States raid in the garrison city of Abbottabad and to determine the nature and causes of lapses associated with the incident.
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani constituted the five-member commission headed by Supreme Court Justice Javed Iqbal to investigate the “Abbottabad incident”, said a statement from the premier’s office.
Manama, June 01: The president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights has been released after appearing before a military court, as anti-government protests continue across the Persian Gulf sheikdom.
The leading human rights activist, Nabeel Rajab, was freed hours after appearing before prosecutors, AP reported on Tuesday.
This is while the Bahraini Justice Ministry has warned to continue its crackdown on anti-government protesters, adding that any unrest will face “all resulted consequences.”
London, June 01: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concerns over the deadly crackdown on Civilians in Yemen, despite his refusal to take any actions on the matter.
In a statement issued by his office, the secretary-general expressed his “grave concern” over brutal repression of protesters in Yemen by security forces, Xinhua reported on Tuesday.
Ban Ki-moon urged Yemeni regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh and anti-government protesters to ease tensions and “return to an immediate ceasefire, allowing negotiations to take place.”
Chicago, June 01: After his 2009 arrest, confessed Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley worked with FBI agents to try to engineer the capture of Sajid Mir, a suspected mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, according to testimony in a US court.
Headley aka Daood Gilani, Washington born son of a Pakistani father and an American mother, also proposed to US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) setting up Ilyas Kashmiri, another kingpin for a missile strike, ProPublica, an investigative news site reported Tuesday.
New Delhi, June 01: “Guidance of Holy Qur’an is for the whole of humanity and Sura Al Fatiha, the opening chapter of Holy Qur’an or ummul Qur’an, itself makes it obvious with using expression Rabbul Alameen and not Rabbul Muslimeen” said Justice J.S. Verma, former Chief Justice of India.
He was delivering valedictory address at a seminar on “Relevance of Islamic Law in the contemporary world” organized by the Islamic Fiqh Academy India.
“We must continue to perform our duties and should promote pluralism in this country” Justice Verma added.
New Delhi, June 01: Bhopal Hours after Baba Ramdev spoke against bringing the Prime Minister and higher judiciary under the ambit of the Lokpal, the government issued a warm acknowledgement of the yoga guru’s suggestions to eliminate corruption.
Hyderabad, June 01: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj dismissed reports about her differences with senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley as “media creation” and said she enjoyed good relations with Mr. Jaitley.
New Delhi, June 01: India and Pakistan failed to reach a consensus on the long pending Siachen glacier issue during the Defence Secretaries meeting held on Tuesday after a gap of three years.
The Defence secretaries of Pakistan and India also released a joint statement on Siachen. Both sides acknowledged that the ceasefire has been on since November 2003 and agreed to continue discussions in a meaningful, result oriented manner.
Hyderabad, June 01: The Telugu Desam Party has challenged Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to immediately convene a special session of the Legislative Assembly to face a no-confidence motion.
The TDP, during its recent three-day annual conclave ’Mahanadu’, announced that it would move a no-confidence motion against the Congress government on the farmers’ and other “anti-people” issues.
Reacting to this, the Chief Minister said his government was “strong enough” to face the no-trust motion and prove its strength.
Karimnagar, June 01: Affirming the BJP”s support to the Telangana cause, senior party leader Sushma Swaraj tonight said the NDA would extend support if the Centre tabled a Bill for formation of separate Telangana state in the next session of Parliament.
New Delhi, June 01: At a time when the civil society members of the Lokpal Bill drafting committee are threatening to pull out of the talks, the government on Tuesday went into damage control mode by asserting that the panel is treading “the right path” and it will complete its work by June 30.
As a part of the effort to build consensus, Chairman of the Joint Draft Committee Pranab Mukherjee has written to chief ministers of all states as well as the leaders of all political parties seeking their views on the six most important issues concerning the Lokpal Bill.
Hyderabad, June 01: A history-sheeter against whom several non-bailable warrants (NBWs) were pending in Karnataka state on charges of attempt to murder and house-break was nabbed here today, police said.
Banglore, June 01: C N R Rao, chairman of special advisory committee to PM, has said there is not a single institute or university of global standard in the country.
While Rao was seemingly echoing Union minister Jairam Ramesh’s argument that IITs were good only because of students not faculty, he said he was not responding or reacting to Ramesh.
Mumbai, June 01: Some 277 Jeddah-bound passengers booked on Saudi Arabian Airlines flight SV 745 have been stranded at the Mumbai airport since Monday morning, airport and airline officials said on Tuesday.
A Mumbai International Airport Limited official said that the Saudia flight was scheduled to take off for Jeddah at 8 a.m. on Monday but was grounded due to a technical snag, which could not be repaired till Tuesday afternoon. He confirmed that a team of engineers had arrived in Mumbai from Jeddah to fix the glitch.
Chicago, June 01: Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley testified Tuesday that he has talked to relatives about writing a book or movie script about his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
As Headley took the stand for the fifth day in his best friend Pakistani Canadian Tahawwur Rana’s trial here, defence attorneys tried to paint him as an opportunistic charlatan who deceived close friends and family, Chicago Sun Times reported.
about the fears of Coptic Christians makes clear today, the increasing influence of Islamists in Egypt in the wake of the collapse of the Mubarak regime calls into question the security of non-Muslim minorities. Some will simply ascribe the tragedy that seems to be unfolding to the perils of increasing democracy in societies where there is no tradition of either genuine religious freedom or the rule of law. That may be true, but Egypt’s problem runs deeper than merely blowback from the Arab Spring.
Hyderabad, June 01: Former chief minister K Rosaiah said a new PCC committee would be constituted soon in order to revive the party in the state. Talking to the media after his meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Tuesday, he said the party high command was seized of the matter. Apart from Sonia, the former chief minister also met senior leader Motilal Vora and home minister P Chidambaram.
New Delhi, June 01: Opposing the move of bringing the Prime Minister under the ambit of Lokpal Bill, Baba Ramdev today said that he does not understand the relevence of such move.
The yoga guru, to whom the government deputed the topmost tax official to convince him on the steps taken by the government against black money, wondered at a press conference in Sehore how top positions like the prime minister and chief justice of India could be brought under the ambit of Lokpal.
New Delhi, June 01: Terrorism has to be fought on all fronts and not selectively, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Tuesday.
The prime minister told a news conference also addressed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel here that terrorism posed “a serious challenge” to the world.
But it “has to be fought on all fronts and not selectively”, he said, in a message clearly directed at the US.
Manmohan Singh said that he and the German chancellor discussed the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, including the Libyan unrest and their impact on global peace and security.