‘Israeli attack was Nazi fascist fury’

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Cuba, June 03: Former Cuban President Fidel Castro has condemned Israel’s attack on the Freedom Flotilla as “Nazi fascist fury.”

The Israeli commandos who boarded the ships fired “frenetically” at the aid workers, AFP quoted Castro as saying in an article on Wednesday.

Castro, 83, writes regular columns for Cuban media commenting on world events.

Castro also said it is unlikely that US President Barack Obama will be able to serve another term in office if the United States does not launch a nuclear attack on Iran.

India not a violence hit nation: Israel

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Jerusalem, June 03: Terming it an “unintentional mistake”, Israel has dropped India’s name from the list of violence hit countries it said had been “ignored” by the United Nations while the Jewish state was being condemned for its “unmistakably defensive actions” last Monday that resulted in the death of nine activists aboard Gaza aid flotilla.

“India was mentioned in the press release by mistake. It was totally unintentional”, Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s media adviser Tzachi Moshe told a news agency.

China ‘not very optimistic’ on cutting emissions

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Beijing, June 03: China, the world’s top source of the toxic gases blamed for global warming, said Thursday it was “not very optimistic” that its efforts to slash emissions were working.

Beijing issued a similar warning a month ago, prompting speculation that it could miss its emissions reduction targets.

The country’s vice minister for environmental protection, Zhang Lijun, told a press conference that sulphur dioxide emissions had risen by 1.2 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2010 — the first jump since 2007.

UN rights body sets probe into flotilla raid

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Geneva, June 03: The United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday voted to set up an independent fact-finding mission to look into what it called violations of international law in Israel’s raid on a Gaza aid flotilla.

In a resolution proposed by Pakistan for the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and Sudan for the Arab group, the Council by a vote of 32 of its 47 members also condemned the Israeli action as outrageous.

Indo-US strategic talks to begin today, focus on Af-Pak, terrorism

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Washington, June 03: Taking the Indo-US ties to a new high, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna is set to hold the first ever Strategic Dialogue with his counterpart Hillary Clinton Thursday during which the two sides are expected to discuss the Af-Pak situation and bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation.

Victim Had Plans to Gun Down Dawood

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Mumbai, June 03: Slain Rajan aide Farid Tanasha was guarded by four police-trained canines

“My only desire is to gun down Dawood,” is what Farid Tanasha, a key lieutenant of gangster Chhota Rajan who was shot dead outside his Tilak Nagar residence late yesterday, had told this correspondent in an earlier interview.

He had led several teams to plan the killing of rival gangster Dawood Ibrahim at his Karachi hideout.

Eyewitnesses said Tanasha (37), who is married to the sister of Chhota Rajan’s wife Sujata Nikhalje, was strolling in his building compound at the time of the incident.

Hindutava activist arrested in Ajmer dargha blast

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Jaipur, June 02: The Rajasthan Anti Terrorism Squad ( ATS) on Friday arrested a suspect in the 2007 Ajmer Sharif bomb blast case.

The arrest of Chandrashekhar Barod, who was picked up from Shajapur in Madhya Pradesh, comes within 48 hours of another suspect, Devendra Gupta, being rounded up for his alleged role in the blast.Barod is believed to have close links with rightwing Hindu organisation Abhinav Bharat, accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case. He is also known to be an active member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( RSS).

Raavan faces trouble

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Bangalore: Director Mani Ratnam`s Hindi-Tamil bilingual film `Raavan` will be released in only 24 theatres in one of the three distribution areas of Karnataka, the state`s film chamber said late Wednesday.

Vasant Kumar Patil, president of Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC), told reporters that `Raavan`, titled `Raavanan` in Tamil, will have a restricted release.

“A decision has been taken to follow the existing policy of allowing non-Kannada films in a stipulated number of theatres,” Patil said.

Iran court confirms jail, lashes for film maker

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Tehran, June 03: An Iranian court has confirmed a sentence of three-and-a-half years in jail and 50 lashes for a journalist and film maker found guilty of anti-state propaganda and insulting the supreme leader, media reported.

Mohammad Nourizad was arrested late last year after he published on his blog letters deemed disrespectful to Iran’s highest authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other senior officials.

Opposition blogs say he has been beaten while in detention in Tehran’s Evin jail where he has begun a hunger strike.

Israel trying to limit diplomatic damage from raid

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Jerusalem, June 03: In an attempt to limit the diplomatic damage from its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, Israel dropped plans Wednesday to prosecute dozens of pro-Palestinian activists, opting instead to deport them all immediately.

The stunning reversal came as Israel faced increasingly sharp international condemnation for Monday’s high-seas raid that ended when Israeli commandos killed nine activists. The outcry included accusations of war crimes and a decision by Nicaragua to break diplomatic relations with Israel over the raid.

Saudi Shura Council lashes out at Israel

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Jeddah, June 03: The Saudi Shura Council has strongly condemned the brutal Israeli attack on the flotilla carrying humanitarian aid.

At a meeting chaired by the council’s Vice President Bandar bin Mohammed Hajjar on Tuesday, members lashed out at the Israelis for raiding the Freedom Flotilla, which was transporting aid to Gaza.

Oman extends amnesty for illegal expats

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Muscat, June 03: The Oman government has extended an amnesty for illegal expatriate residents for a second time. The new deadline is July 31.

The scheme, which allows overstaying expatriates to regularise their status or leave the country without paying fines, was first announced late last year with March 30 set as the closing date, which was subsequently extended by two months until May 31.

2mn child labourers in EU

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London, June 03: Over two million children under the age of 15 are salaried workers in the European Union (EU) including developed countries like Holland, Denmark and France, an international child rights organisation has alleged.

Children who work is one of the most extended phenomena in all of central and eastern Europe, while poverty forces the young to take on adult work in face of necessity, “Save the Children” has said.

Beauty parlours, restaurants, laundries and cleaning companies are the major areas where immigrant children work.

Bride’s age must in new Saudi marriage contracts

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Jeddah, June 03: The new marriage contracts represent a serious step to prevent the marriage of young girls, according to sources at the Ministry of Justice.

“There is a serious drive by the ministry to determine an age for girls to marry following the recent reporting of older men marrying young girls,” the sources said.

Weight gain during pregnancy, risky for child’s heart

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London, June 03: A new study has revealed that piling in pounds can increase a child’s risk of developing risk of heart disease in later life.

The findings revealed that women who put on the most weight had less heart-healthy children at the age of nine. These children were heavier, had bigger waists, more body fat and lower blood levels of “good” cholesterol.

Iran says enriching to higher levels as backup plan

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Vienna, June 03: Iran is enriching nuclear material to higher levels as a backup plan because it fears it will not receive foreign fuel for a medical research reactor, Tehran’s envoy to the U.N. atomic watchdog said on Wednesday.

Iran started refining uranium to 20 percent purity in February saying it wanted to produce fuel for a reactor that makes isotopes for treating cancer after talks over a fuel swap deal proposal with big powers stalled.

The move sparked Western concerns because it brings the material closer to the level of refinement needed for atomic weapons.

Mohammed approves Pensions and Social Security Authority structure

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Dubai, June 03: His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has approved the organisational structure of the General Pensions and Social Security Authority (GPSSA).

According to the new structure, the authority will have four executive directors, operation centres in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and business units for investment, risk assessment and internal auditing.

Sonia shock for Spanish writer

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New Delhi, June 03: Sonia moved from the village of Lusiana to Orbassano, an industrial town in the outskirts of Turin when she was 10 years old. She was known as paesane here — a derogatory term for immigrants out of sync with fashion trends. But as her father Stefano, who was known for his honesty, worked his way up, she moved from being known as the daughter of a “ cowheard” and “ bricklayer” to the daughter of a builder who lived comfortably.

New benefits to the families of gay

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Washington, June 03: President Barack Obama on Wednesday expanded benefits for same-sex partners of federal employees, a move likely to be welcomed by gay rights activists who have questioned his commitment to their causes.

Obama said he had directed government agencies to offer a number of new benefits to the families of gay and lesbian federal employees, including family assistance services, hardship transfers and relocation expenses.

Briton’s killer arrested

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Dubai, June 03: The Dubai Police has tracked down and arrested the man who was allegedly behind the cold-blooded murder of a British woman, Maria Esilan, in her apartment here last Thursday.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) coordinated with the Interpol to arrest the alleged killer, who fled after the crime to his home country, Syria, Major-General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Dubai Police, said on Wednesday.

Israel under ‘international assault of hypocrisy’: Netanyahu

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Jerusalem, June 03: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday bluntly rejected international criticism of his country’s forceful interception on high seas of six aid ships headed for the blockaded Gaza Strip.

“The state of Israel is standing opposite an international assault of hypocrisy. And it’s not the first time,” charged the Israeli leader in his first public reaction since nine foreign activists were killed in the operation early Monday.

EC moves court over a ‘ defiant’ Mayawati

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New Delhi, June 03: The election Commission ( EC) on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court against a “ defiant” Uttar Pradesh government.

The EC alleged that the state, by not supplying details about the construction of statues of elephants and chief minister Mayawati, was coming in the way of EC’s deciding on the misuse of the Bahujan Samaj Party’s ( BSP) election symbol.

“ The commission is handicapped by the defiant and uncooperative stance of Uttar Pradesh,” the application filed by the EC stated.

Palestinians pay homage to victims of Israeli attack

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Dubai, June 03: Palestinians gathered in large numbers at the consulate in Dubai on Tuesday to stand in silence in memory of the heroes of the ‘Freedom Flotilla’, who died in the Israeli attack 
on Sunday.

They said Israel had become a real danger to all countries of the world, as it did not respect international law. The harsh policy of starvation against the Palestinian people was killing innocents, they said, and described the attack on the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ as an act of terrorism.

Indian envoy meets Pakistani opposition leader

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Islamabad, June 03: Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal Wednesday called on opposition leader of Pakistan National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to discuss bilateral relations.

They discussed political situation in Pakistan, terrorism and other issues during their meeting at Punjab House, the Online news agency reported.

The Pakistani leader said cordial relations between the two countries will enhance stability of the region. The Indian official said India wants good relations with Pakistan.

–IANS–

No licence, no practice for health professionals

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Dubai, June 03: Health professionals working without a licence in Dubai will be blacklisted and not allowed to work in any other emirate, according to the Dubai Health Authority.

The warning came after the authority found a number of health professionals working in the emirate without a licence. In a recent circular issued to health establishments, the authority warned of legal action against those found in violation.