Month: March 2012

Video recording no evidence of nikah: Deoband

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Two days after ruling that divorce given in an inebriated condition is valid, Islamic seminary Darul-Uloom Deoband on Saturday said videography of ‘nikah’ cannot be produced as an evidence of the marriage and would be considered illegal under the Sharia law.

In a fatwa (edict) issued in reply to a query from a Pakistani national whether video-recording of a ‘nikah’ can be used as a legal evidence to prove the marriage, the Islamic seminary ruled against it, saying minimum two witnesses are mandatory during the ceremony.

Bomb blasts hit Thai Muslim south, 8 killed

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Eight people died and at least 70 were injured in a series of bomb explosions on Saturday in Thailand’s Muslim south, the latest in a wave of violence blamed on separatists in a region bordering Malaysia, police and officials said.

Three bombs went off in the business area of the city of Yala around lunchtime, they said, adding the devices may have been placed in a car and a motorcycle.

The Governor of Yala province told Thai television that many of the injured were hit by the third bomb, hidden in a car, as they gathered at the scene.

Allah’s Plan for You and Me

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Everything happens by the will of God. Whatever He wills happens, and whatever He does not will does not happen.

God had a plan for you before you were born, and He still has a plan for you.

God’s plan for you is necessary and glorious. His plan is vital to your success and important to the world.

God’s plan is not set in stone, as if we were robots pre-programmed in the factory. That would strip us of free will and deny our natures.

US assassination drone raids kill 9 in Pakistan, Yemen

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The United States continues the use of its assassination drones abroad, killing at least 9 people in the latest raids by the unmanned aircraft in Yemen and Pakistan.

A drone attack in Yemen targeted a car traveling in the country’s southern province of Shabwa on Friday, killing the five people on board. Another drone attack in Yemen hit a vacant building, according to witnesses.

‘In Turkey, Iranian group planned to attack Jews’

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Intelligence agencies have reportedly unmasked a secret Iranian group sending assassins to Turkey to attack Jews, Israelis and Western targets.

Intelligence sources claimed the organisation behind the attack is known as ‘Unit 400’ a secret part of the Al Quds Brigade, which falls under the direct command of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Mrs Pakistan World flees US after duping dozens

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A former Pakistani beauty queen has been accused of duping scores of Californians in an elaborate loan scam before fleeing the US.

Saman Hasnain, who won the 2008 Mrs Pakistan World beauty pageant, and her husband Jawad, have been accused of duping South Bay, California, homeowners into giving them money for a loan-modification scam which they operated from 2008 until October 2010.

‘US may turn to India if talks with Pakistan fail’

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If Pakistan does not reopen the NATO supply lines to Afghanistan that were closed after an attack on a border post killed 24 soldiers in November, the US may have to rely on India to help out its troops, a leading Pakistani daily said.

“The delay in finalising parliamentary recommendations for US-Pakistan relations is causing confusion in Washington, where the Obama administration seems unable to decide how to proceed with rebuilding this key relationship,” the Dawn said.

Haqqani network leader held in Afghanistan

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A leader of the Haqqani network, accused of several attacks on security forces and murder of civilians, was captured on Saturday in Afghanistan, officials said.

Sayf-ul-Rahman was captured in the eastern province of Wardak, 35 km west of capital city Kabul, Xinhua reported.

Two of his comrades were also held during a raid in Jahadkhil area of Sayyedabad district, government spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) also confirmed in a statement on Saturday that a Haqqani leader and two other insurgents were detained in Wardak.

Plot to attack Pakistan Parliament foiled

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Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Saturday revealed that the country’s police have foiled a plot to attack Parliament during a presidential address.

“I commend the Islamabad police, they have foiled a plot to attack the Parliament during President’s address to the joint session,” Rehman Malik told reporters.

“Police has arrested a suspect and an official of the Finance Ministry involved in the plot.”

Notably, President Asif Ali Zardari addressed the joint sitting of the federal Parliament on March 17 amid tight security.

US blocks investigation of Afghan massacre: Lawyer

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The lawyer defending the US soldier accused of murdering 17 Afghan civilians claims US authorities are blocking his ability to investigate the incident.

John Henry Browne, the lawyer for Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, said US forces in Afghanistan have prevented his team from interviewing injured civilians at a hospital in Kandahar, and are allowing other potential witnesses to scatter, making it difficult to track them down.

Re fall sharply cuts Int’l fin assets by $20.7 bn in Q3: RBI

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The country’s international financial assets sharply dropped by USD 20.7 billion to USD 432.3 billion at the end Q3 from USD 453 billion, primarily due to the exchange rate fluctuations.

Accordingly, the net international investment position (IIP) deteriorated in the December quarter with the net liability rising to USD 215.7 billion from USD 204.0 billion in Q2, Reserve Bank said in the quarterly provisional report.

Air India’s financial restructuring plan gets banks nod

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In a big boost to its precarious financial position, Air India’s Financial Restructuring Plan (FRP) has been approved by a consortium of banks, which may enable the ailing carrier save several hundred crore in the first year itself.

As part of the FRP, Air India signed four agreements with the SBI-led consortium late last evening. These were Master Restructuring Agreement, Working Capital Facility Agreement, Appointment of Facility Agent Agreement and Appointment of Trustee Agreement, airline officials said on Saturday.

London Games organisers willing to meet Bhopal activists

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Under tremendous pressure from India to drop Dow Chemicals as London Olympics sponsors, organizing committee chief Sebastian Coe today said they are ready to meet the activists protesting against the company because of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy.

The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) chief was faced by a handful of protesters, who were shouting slogans against Dow which took over Union Carbide — the company responsible for the tragedy — ahead of a press conference here.

Obama gives go-ahead for tougher oil sanctions on Iran

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US President Barack Obama has given the green light for fresh sanctions against foreign banks and other financial institutions by or through which Iran’s oil is purchased.

Obama made the decision on Friday night, hours before a legal deadline, arguing that there is enough oil on world markets to ensure the move will not trigger an oil shock hitting US consumers.

Djokovic beats Monaco to set up Murray final

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World number one Novak Djokovic beat Argentine Juan Monaco 6-0 7-6 on Friday to reach the final of the Sony Ericsson Open, where he will meet Andy Murray.

Fourth-ranked Murray`s semi-final against Rafa Nadal was earlier ruled a walkover after the Spaniard pulled out with a knee injury.
There was the air of a virtual walkover in the way Djokovic dealt with a wayward Monaco in the first set.

The Serb, in imposing form, dismissed him in just 27 minutes and took full advantage of the Argentine`s numerous unforced errors as he won 24 of 32 points.

West Indies beat Australia by 14 runs

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West Indies defeated Australia by 14 runs at Kensington Oval to win the second Twenty20 international and draw the two-game series 1-1.

Chasing a modest 161-run target, Australia were well-set at 75-2 at the halfway stage, but their chase slowed with off-break bowler Marlon Samuels taking three crucial wickets to dismiss skipper George Bailey (24), Mike Hussey (14) and Matthew Wade (17) on Friday.

South Africa win by 11 runs (D/L) in the one-off T20

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South Africa won the New Age Friendship cup by 11 runs as the match was called off due to rain in Johannesburg. Rain halted the game when India had scored 71 runs with openers still in the middle in 7.5 overs. Though, India were behind the par score of 82 as per Duckworth Lewis method by 11 runs.

India vs South Africa: As it happened

Expedia files Google complaint to EU regulators

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Online travel agency Expedia on Friday accused Google of breaching EU rules with a formal complaint to EU antitrust regulators as it joined a dozen other firms that have taken their case to the European Commission in the last two years.

The EU watchdog is now investigating the world’s most popular search engine after rivals, including Microsoft, accused Google of abusing its dominant position in the market for Web search engines.

New ‘rocket’ can go to moon on 100cc fuel

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A lightweight satellite thruster can go to the Moon on just 100 ml of fuel, slashing cost of space missions.

The mini motor uses electricity to expel ions and generate thrust, built to manoeuvre spacecraft in space, which previously required bulky, expensive engines.

The first prototype is to be unveiled by EPFL (École Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne) lab and the scientists hope it could ‘usher in a new era of low-cost space exploration’. EPFL is one of the two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology and is located in Lausanne, Switzerland.

‘351 Gujarat fishermen languishing in Pak jails’

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In a big boost to its precarious financial position, Air India’s Financial Restructuring Plan (FRP) has been approved by a consortium of banks, which may enable the ailing carrier save several hundred crore in the first year itself.

As part of the FRP, Air India signed four agreements with the SBI-led consortium late last evening. These were Master Restructuring Agreement, Working Capital Facility Agreement, Appointment of Facility Agent Agreement and Appointment of Trustee Agreement, airline officials said on Saturday.

Bees self-medicate ‘when infected with pathogens’

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Honey bees are clever than you thought. They “self-medicate” when their colony is infected with a harmful fungus, bringing in increased amounts of antifungal plant resins to ward off the pathogen.

“The colony is willing to expend the energy and effort of its worker bees to collect these resins. So, clearly this behaviour has evolved because the benefit to the colony exceeds the cost,” Michael Simone-Finstrom at North Carolina State University, who led the study, said.

Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa writes to PM, demands all Kudankulam power for state

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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has written a letter to the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, demanding that the 2000 megawatts of power to be generated by two units of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant be given to the state because of the “severe power shortage” faced by it.

Jayalalithaa said it would be “proper and justifiable that the entire power to be generated from the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is made available to Tamil Nadu.”

UN to observe Earth Hour today

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The UN will observe Earth Hour Saturday by turning off the lights for one hour at its facilities around the world.

The world body, headquartered in New York, will join scores of other landmarks around the globe that are participating in the Earth Hour event.

Earth Hour, launched in 2007 in Australia by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), which is a global conservation group, calls on people, organisations and cities to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour starting at 8.30 p.m. local time.

‘Bin Laden didn’t come up with 9/11 plot’

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It was not Osama bin Laden who had come up with the 9/11 plot, a new book has claimed. When the strike was first proposed to him in 1996 the al-Qaida leader refused to give his backing. It was not until three years later before he could be brought around and another five years before the attack eventually took place.

The book, titled ‘The Hunt for KSM: Inside the Pursuit and Takedown of the Real 9/11 Mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’ , also gives the first in depth account of the the problems the FBI and CIA had hunting down al-Qaida after 9/11.

—Agencies

Obama says enough world oil to crack down on Iran sales

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US President Barack Obama vowed on Friday to forge ahead with tough sanctions on Iran, saying there was enough oil in the world market – including emergency stockpiles – to allow countries to cut Iranian imports.

In his decision, required by a sanctions law he signed in December, Obama said increased production by some countries as well as “the existence of strategic reserves” helped him come to the conclusion that sanctions can advance.