Month: April 2012

New sex scandal hits US military, foreign service in Brazil

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The United States military and foreign service are embroiled in yet another sex scandal as fresh revelations surface concerning the misconduct of a number of US military service members and an embassy staffer in Brazil.

The incident took in the capital Brasilia late last year, when three Marines on a US Embassy security team and one embassy staff member pushed a female escort out of a car after a dispute over payment. The woman broke her collarbone in the incident, the Associated Press reported.

Marine discharged for criticizing Obama on Facebook

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A US Marine sergeant has been discharged from the Marine Corps after criticizing President Barack Obama on the social networking website, Facebook.

The Corps said on Wednesday that Sgt. Gary Stein would be subjected to an other-than-honourable discharge for violating a Pentagon policy that limits the military service members’ freedom of speech.

The Corps pointed out that the type of discharge applies to a Marine, who commits a “serious offense” that significantly differs from the conduct expected of him or her.

Gandhi auction: Congress unhappy, writes to PM

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Congress is unhappy with the Centre’s inability to prevent the auction of Mahatma Gandhi’s memorabilia in London last week with a party leader writing to the Prime Minister to vent his resentment over it. Reflecting the unease in the party over the development, a senior general secretary of the party has written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressing resentment over the incident and seeking to know what steps can be taken now to get back the belongings of the Father of the Nation.

Indian rocket successfully launches Risat-1 satellite

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On an early Thursday morning, an Indian rocket successfully launched into orbit a microwave Radar Imaging Satellite (Risat-1) from the spaceport here in Andhra Pradesh, around 80 km from Chennai.

The indigenous Risat-1, with a life span of five years, would be used for disaster prediction and agriculture forestry and the high resolution pictures and microwave imaging could also be used for defence purposes as it can look through the clouds and fog.

Co-star Misti hits Ranvir Shorey with a shoe

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Co-star Misti Mukherjee was so excited shooting with Ranvir Shorey for Rakesh Mehta’s film ‘Life Ki Toh Lag Gayi’ that she ended up hitting him with a shoe while doing the shot, says a media report.

Says Ranvir: “Hota hai! Mistakes happen. It’s all a part of acting and filmmaking.”

He adds: “It became a joke on the sets – kab mere ko joota padega!”.

Ranvir plays a Bengali NRI named Amol Ganguly in the film, where he comes across extraordinary circumstances leading to a complete transformation.

Girl on phone accidentally falls through hole in pavement

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Dramatic video has emerged of a teenage girl falling through a sinkhole in the pavement in northern China, before being rescued by a passing taxi driver.

The footage from a security camera, run by Chinese broadcaster CCTV, shows the girl talking on her phone in the city of Xi’an, when the ground suddenly opens underneath her feet and she falls into the hole.

Immediately after the girl falls in, a taxi stops in the road, and the driver is seen running over to the hole to help the teenager.

Jailed BJP legislator alleges ill-treatment

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Rajasthan legislator Rajendra Singh Rathore, who has been arrested for his alleged involvement in a staged shootout, Wednesday told a court that the Jaipur Central Jail officials were not providing him facilities allowed by the court, a lawyer said.

Rathore filed an application in Jaipur’s sessions court Wednesday saying that the jail administration was not providing him facilities in his cell despite court orders.

He alleged the jail officials were attempting to tarnish his image by levelling false charges against him..

AP police issues advisory against travel in naxal areas

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Andhra Pradesh Police have issued a general advisory to all elected representatives, mainly ministers, MPs and MLAs, asking them not to travel in Maoist-infested agency areas in the state.

The advisory will be applicable to senior bureaucrats and important government officials as well, highly-placed police sources said.

The advisory was issued following the recent kidnapping incidents in Odisha and Chhatisgarh.

Obama never in danger from Secret Service scandal: Official

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US President Barack Obama was never in danger because of a prostitution scandal involving Secret Service agents during a trip to Colombia, a top official said Wednesday.

Testifying at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said “there was no risk to the president” stemming from the scandal that took place in Colombia’s Cartagena, Xinhua reported.

India, Pakistan to sign ‘liberalised’ visa agreement

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Seeking closer ties through a sustained talks process and a step by step approach to solve outstanding issues, India and Pakistan are likely to sign a “liberalised visa agreement” when their home secretaries meet in Islamabad next month, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said Wednesday.

Krishna was speaking in the Lok Sabha on the April 8 daylong visit of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari to India during which he met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over lunch.

Suspended T- Cong MPs stage silent protest

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Eight Congress MPs from the Telangana region, who were suspended from the Lok Sabha for four days, on Wednesday staged a silent protest before the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the Parliament premises.

By-elections not linked to Telangana demand, says Botsa

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Pradesh Congress Committee president Botsa Satyanarayana on Wednesday said that there was no link to by-elections and Telangana State issue in the State.

Talking to media persons, Botsa Satyanarayana said that the Telangana issue should not be linked with the by-elections and stated that both were different issues. He also dismissed reports that the outcome of by-election results would decide the formation of Telangana state. He said that the Congress High Command was seriously considering the Telangana State issue and would announce a decision at an appropriate time.

Israel army chief says Iran unlikely to make bomb

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Israel’s military chief said he does not believe Iran will decide to produce an atomic bomb, describing its leadership as “very rational” in an interview published on Wednesday.

Lt. General Benny Gantz’s characterization of Iran’s rulers appeared to be at odds with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s oft-stated warnings that Islamic leaders could opt to use nuclear weapons even at the risk of devastating retaliation.

Suspension of Telangana MPs shows the way: Congress

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Claiming high moral ground for suspending eight party MPs from Telangana region for disrupting the Lok Sabha, Congress on Wednesday said it has shown the way and asked Opposition leaders to learn from the action and ensure that the House transacts normal business.

However, party spokesperson Rashid Alvi vehemently denied that his remarks constitute any threat to the Opposition or that the action could be a pretext to take similar actions against Opposition members in future.

Amnesty reports discrimination against Muslims in Europe

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Europe, Amnesty International has released a report on discrimination against Muslims in Europe, which has highlighted cases of prejudice in education and employment sectors against the community.

The report titled Choice and Prejudice: Discrimination against Muslims in Europe has urged European governments to work on the negative stereotypes and prejudices that have fueled discrimination against Muslims, especially women, in Europe.

1st robot invented by Muslims: Expert

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Makkah’s Umm Al-Qura University President Bakri Assas opened the Innovation and Business Forum at the university auditorium in the holy city yesterday.

Several prominent figures, including experts, academics and knowledge innovation specialists from within the Kingdom and abroad as well as university officials are taking part in the three-day forum, organized by the university’s Business & Knowledge Innovation Agency.

In his opening speech, Assas highlighted the significance of outstanding scientific contributions made by Muslims to the world in the early period of Islam.

Muslim Community Need To Be United, Avoid A Split – Muhyiddin

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The Muslim community need to focus on unity of the ‘ummah’ by avoiding action that can cause a split, says Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Muhyiddin who is also Education Minister said despite differing political views, religious issues and unity of the ‘ummah’ should be given priority by the Muslim community.

Grisly Murders Shock Kenya Muslims

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Kenyan Muslims are up in arms with their government following the sudden death of two Muslim activists, who had been arrested by people believed to be state security operatives.

“We are demanding that the Kenyan government immediately institutes an independent probe into the abductions and killing of Muslim activists,” Al-Amin Kimathi, chairperson of the Muslim Human Rights Forum said in a press release obtained by OnIslam.net.

According to Al-Amin, two Muslim activists were abducted by suspected police officers while traveling in a taxi in the port city of Mombasa.

Prejudice robs Europe’s Muslims of basic choices

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“People called me names in the street or made unpleasant remarks. A man started shouting at me saying that I had to remove the sheet I was wearing on my head. I have been raised in Switzerland and I believe this is my country. I do not understand how other citizens assume they have the right to treat me like that.”

This statement by a Muslim woman — identified only as ‘P’ — was among the testimonies included in Amnesty International’s report on discrimination that Muslims, especially women, face in Europe.

Muslim family in Britain blames evil spirit for daughter-in-law’s murder

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A 21-year-old Pakistani woman, who was pregnant, was allegedly smothered to death by her husband and his parents, who later claimed she may have been killed by an evil spirit, a British court has heard.

Nalia Mumtaz was born in Pakistan and entered into an arranged marriage with her husband- then a student at Wolverhampton University- in August 2007. She came to Britain for the first time in May 2008 and moved into his parents’ three-bedroom home in Birmingham, the Daily Mail reported.

Wedlock Policy Saves Pakistan Family Life

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A new Pakistani policy that allows a husband and a wife who are serving in the public sector to be deputed in the same place is winning praise for saving family life in the south Asian Muslim country.

“This is religiously and conventionally a very good step,” Mufti Naeem, head of International Binoria University Karachi, told OnIslam.net.

The Pakistani government has unveiled a “wedlock” policy that allows a husband and a wife to work in the same place for an indefinite period.

Pregnant Pakistani woman killed by in-laws in Britain

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A 21-year-old Pakistani woman, who was pregnant, was allegedly smothered to death by her husband and his parents, who later claimed she may have been killed by an evil spirit, a British court has heard.

Nalia Mumtaz was born in Pakistan and entered into an arranged marriage with her husband, then a student at Wolverhampton University, in August 2007. She came to Britain for the first time in May 2008 and moved into his parents’ three-bedroom home in Birmingham, the Daily Mail reported.

Helicopter-borne poachers kill 22 elephants in Congo

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In a brazen attack carried out by helicopter-borne poachers, a herd of 22 elephants were killed and their tusks and genitals hacked off at a national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a media report said Wednesday.

The poachers at the Garamba National Park reportedly smuggled the tusks and genitals through South Sudan or Uganda — part of an ivory trail linking Africa to Asia — according to the Daily Mail.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen something like this,” Tshibasu Muamba, head of international cooperation for the Congolese state conservation agency ICCN.