Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Uma Bharti today said that religious leaders from both Hinduism and Islam should discuss the issue of alleged ‘love jehad’.
“I don’t want to make any direct comment on the issue, but religious heads and seniors of both religions should sit together to take some decision on the matter,” she said, speaking to reporters at her residence here, when asked about the issue.
Beleaguered private sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh Monday rejected the assistance of Rs.6 per quintal of cane announced by the state government as inadequate, saying they are unable to meet the aid conditions.
The deficit is so large that even Rs.9 per quintal would not be enough to clear all arrears by Sep 30, 2014. The mills of UP do not have the ability to meet the conditions imposed, the UP Sugar Mills Association (UPSMA) said in a release.
Iran’s president today urged the country’s clerics to be more tolerant of the Internet and new technologies, which are often the target of criticism by influential hard-liners in the Islamic Republic.
Hassan Rouhani made the appeal during a meeting with clerics in Tehran, where he said that the Internet is important for aspiring students and experts trying to access new knowledge and science.
Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Iran’s first vice president under former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has been sentenced to prison and fined, it was reported today.
Appointed by Ahmadinejad after a controversial election win in 2009, Rahimi would be the most senior official from that era to be convicted.
“I cannot reveal the details because the sentence is not final, but it includes a term of imprisonment and a fine,” Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejeie, the second-ranking member of Iran’s judiciary, was quoted by state media as saying.
In a landmark judgment, the Himachal Pradesh High Court Monday banned the sacrifice of animals in temples in the state, saying they cannot be permitted to be killed in a barbaric manner to appease the gods.
“No person throughout the state shall sacrifice any animal in any place of public religious worship, including all land and buildings near such places of religious worship which are ordinarily connected to religious purposes,” said a division bench of Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Sureshwar Thakur.
Pakistani fast bowling legend Wasim Akram is to be a father again as his Australian wife Shaniera Akram is expecting.
The former Pakistani captain announced the news on social networking site Twitter Monday.
“I am thrilled to announce that @iamShaniera and I are expecting our first child together. Thank you for your wishes&prayers #babyontheway,” tweeted Akram.
The 48-year-old married his first wife Huma in 1995. The couple had two sons. However, Huma died of multiple organ failure in Chennai Oct 25, 2009.
The fastest man on earth, Usain Bolt, is all set to make his date with India tomorrow by involving himself in a friendly face off with Indian cricket stars Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan.
The World and Olympic champion Bolt will be a part of seven-a-side exhibition match against a team which will have top cricketers of the country, including Yuvraj.
While Team Bolt will consist of his best friend Nugent Walker Junior and Indian spinning great Harbhajan Singh, Team Yuvraj will have his long-time friend and renowned Indian bowler Zaheer on his side.
Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, who was embroiled in controversy for his objectionable tweets on Lord Ganesh recently, believes in freedom of expression. He says expressing what he feels in a manner he likes, is the way he enjoys being.
Varma was Sunday booked under four sections of the Indian Penal Code, with a complainant alleging that the filmmaker hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus by insulting Lord Ganesh through his series of tweets.
In an interview, he has spoken about his controversial tweets, his films and his lack of camaraderie with people in the film industry.
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Violence carried out by militants of the Islamic State (IS) Sunni extremist organisation in Iraq, including murders, executions, abduction, sexual violence and torture, amount to crimes against humanity, the UN said Monday.
The UN’s statement came after the human rights commission in Iraq gathered information about abductions by IS of more than 2,000 women and children and holding them captive.
A commission report said the real figure could be much higher.
The government will expand the network for procuring and distributing organs and tissues for transplant being carried out at the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said Monday.
“India faces shortage of organ donors. To meet the demand of organ transplantation, the government will expand the networking for procurement and distribution of organs in the country. The aim is to make aware and encourage people for organ donation,” Vardhan said here.
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and fiery cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri have been booked under the anti-terrorist act for attempting to attack Pakistan’s parliament.
Top seed Vikram Malhotra comfortably outsmarted Puneet Pareek 11-1, 11-6, 11-4 in the final to clinch the men’s open crown of the Indian Squash Professionals (ISP) organised Rs.4 lakh All-India JVPG-Coke Squash Carnival (third leg) at the Juhu Vile Parle Gymkhana here Monday.
Earlier in the semi-final, Malhotra quashed the aspiration of Aishwarya Singh posting a 11-5, 11-4, 11-4 victory while Pareek prevailed over seasoned Karan Mirchandani 11-8, 11-5, 11-9.
(Pervez Bari): The Social Democratic Party of India, (SDPI), has deplored demonizing of Muslims in the name of “Love Jihad” which is being spread by the saffron brigade with the intention of disturbing peace between Muslims and Hindus in the country.
SDPI national president A. Sayeed in a statement said that the theory of “Love Jihad”, which is propounded by such groups is a mere concoction and has no supportive evidence. It said such false propaganda, only creates mistrust and suspicion amongst members of different religious communities, leading to a fractured society.
More than 200,000 Indians, mostly domestic helpers and labourers, were granted visas by Saudi authorities in one month, an official said Monday.
“Since we resumed bringing in Indian workers at the end of Ramadan (in July), the number of visas has reached 220,000,” Gulf News quoted Ahmad Al Fuhaid, the labour ministry undersecretary for international affairs, as saying.
“Around 44,000 visas were for domestic helpers while the others were for workers in the public and private sectors,” he said.
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, an avid user of social media, has amassed a massive following of over 10 million users on Twitter. His target is to double the figure.
“10 MILLION!! ON TWITTER!! YEEAAAHH!! Thank you all that follow me! Next target 20,” Amitabh tweeted Sunday.
The most followed Twitter user in India, the 71-year-old is known for his versatility on the platform.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi began her two-day visit of her parliamentary constituency Rae Bareli today with the launch of several public welfare schemes.
Gandhi had earlier said that she will go door-to-door in the villages that fall in her constituency during her stay. She is scheduled to visit villages to directly interact with people and enquire about their problems, along with checking the progress of development and welfare schemes .
Congress did not win any of the five assembly seats in Rae Bareli during the last elections held in the state. (ANI)
The Bihar government plans to set up its first music university, named after shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan, in Muzaffarpur district, Minister of Art and Culture Binay Bihari said Monday.
Bismillah Khan, who was born in Bihar, was conferred the country’s highest civilian award the Bharat Ratna in 2001.
The minister said the department of art and culture has proposed to set up Bismillah Khan music university in Muzaffarpur, about 70 km from here.
“I have already met and discussed the proposal with Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi. He has assured all possible help,” Bihari said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that India considers Japan among its closest and most reliable partners.
“I am delighted to be in Japan. After assuming the office of Prime Minister, I had taken a decision that my first bilateral visit outside South Asia would be to Japan. It is my great fortune that Prime Minister Abe gave me the opportunity to fulfill my desire within 100 days of my assuming office,” said Prime Minister Modi in his remarks at the joint press briefing with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe affirmed a broader and stronger partnership for his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi ‘s bold and ambitious vision for accelerating inclusive development in India, particularly by transforming the infrastructure and manufacturing sectors.
Prime Minister Modi on his part expressed deep appreciation for Japan’s continuous support for India’s economic development and stated that no country has done more for modernizing India’s infrastructure than Japan.
The World Junior Chess Championship got a major boost Monday as the Maharashtra government released a grant of Rs.50 lakh for the Oct 5-20 tournament to be held here.
The cheque was handed over to Grandmaster Abhijit Kunte by state Sports Minister Padmakar Valvi.
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani Monday vowed to liberate the Al-Aqsa mosque in the old city of Jerusalem from the Israeli forces and spare no efforts to help the Palestinian people, state-owned Press TV reported.
“The administration of the Islamic Republic of Iran, like in the past, will use all tools at its disposal to save Al-Aqsa mosque and liberate the first Qibla (point of direction to which Muslims turn for prayers) of Muslims,” Rouhani said at a conference on World Mosque Day in Tehran.
Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has said that England batsmen need to tackle Indian spinners in a better way if they want to change their fortunes in the limited-overs version.
England, who outplayed India 3-1 in the five-match Test series, trail the visitors 0-2 after three outings and Ganguly opines that the Alastair Cook-led side should change its mental approach.
A 38-year-old Indian expatriate was found dead in Qatar.
Sirajul Muneer, a native of Thiruvalloor in Kerala’s Kozhikode district was found dead yesterday in his Al Wakrah city accommodation, the Gulf Times reported.
He was working here as a driver for 18 months, the paper said, and was survived by his wife and two children.
Designer Sakshee Pradhan of the label Schon is all set to showcase her collection titled Nefarious at the Dubai Fashion Week Friday.
The collection is inspired by an Egyptian warrior princess and boasts of ensembles fit for the woman of today.
“The word Nefarious means villainous or wicked. A juxtaposition of geometrical structures and flowy lines forms the surface textures of my collection. My designs ooze power and strength, which every women has and my outfits would just encourage them to be strong and confident,” Pradhan said in a statement.
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan had a double bonanza as he crossed over 10 million followers on Twitter and son Abhishek Bachchan’s Kabaddi team won the debut league.
The 71-year-old actor hit the milestone on the micro-blogging site, leaving stars like Shah Rukh Khan (8.74 million), Aamir Khan (8.13 million), Salman Khan (7.99 million) and Priyanka Chopra (6.8million).
“10 MILLION!! On Twitter!! Yeeahh!! Thank you all that follow me .. ! Next target 20!,” Amitabh tweeted.
The ‘Bhoothnath Returns’ star, who is active on social-networking sites, joined Twitter in May 2010.