Mirwaiz tries to take others on board dialogue bus

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Srinagar, October 20: The contours of the proposed dialogue between New Delhi and Kashmiri separatist groups are yet to be made public, but moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq has begun efforts to take others on board so that he’s not seen as a ‘lone ranger’.

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram had announced in Kashmir last week that the central government was working ‘on quiet diplomacy to arrive at a unique, acceptable and honourable solution to the problems in Kashmir’, raising expectations that talks would resume.

Iraqi shoe-thrower launches aid foundation

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Geneva, October 20: An Iraqi journalist who was jailed for throwing his shoes at US President George W Bush today launched a foundation to help Iraqi widows and orphans.

“I am making an appeal on behalf of my people and I announce the launch of a humanitarian foundation for my people,” Muntazer al-Zaidi told journalists in Geneva.

“I am planning to help orphans, widows and the deported in priority. We want to build hospitals, medical centres, a centre to replace limbs of people handicapped by this war,” he added.

‘They gave me $100 and told me to fend for myself in Baghdad’

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Abu Yousif is back home, back to Baghdad, where his brother was murdered and where, he believes, the same fate awaits him in the hands of the vengeful killers.

Every day is spent living in fear that the gunmen will hunt him down. “They have not gone away from here. I am afraid of what could happen. I only sleep a little, and then I wake up and think, is this going to be my last day, wondering what is going to happen to my family,” he says. “This is still a very dangerous place. People in England must realise that.”

Doubts loom over nuclear agreement

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Tehran, October 20: Western powers began talks with Iran about its nuclear programme yesterday amid confusion as to whether a viable agreement could be reached following combative statements from Tehran.

Iranian officials appeared to rule out the main demand made by the West that enrichment of uranium should take place abroad and not in the Islamic Republic – a safeguard against the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad acquiring a nuclear arsenal.

Iran accuses US, Britain, Pakistan over lethal bombing

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Tehran, October 20: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini today pointed a finger of blame at the United States for a devastating suicide bombing which killed 42 people, ISNA news agency reported.

“This terrorist crime revealed the evil face of enemies of security and unity who are supported by intelligence organisations of some arrogant governments,” he said, using the Islamic republic’s term for the United States.

Washington has denied any involvement and said it condemns this act of “terrorism and mourn the loss of innocent lives.”

Half of fathers do not take paternity leave, study says

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London, October 20: It is a Catch-22 situation facing every modern father: how to spend more time with children during their formative years while also providing for the family’s long-term financial security.

On this issue, society has frequently failed fathers by either forcing them to give up work and become house husbands or demand that they spend long hours in the office bringing home the bacon.

Those men who try to reconcile the two roles end up pleasing neither the family nor the boss, and, in the worst cases, suffer stress and even marital breakdown.

German order of merit for MoC chief Sr Prema

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Kolkata, October 19: Missionaries of Charity (MoC) Superior General Sister Mary Prema has been nominated for Order of Merit of the German state of North Rhine Westphalia.

The award will be handed over to Sister Prema by Germany’s Deputy Consul General in Kolkata Klaus Tesch at a function here tomorrow, a consulate release said.

The award is being given to Sister Prema “for her courage and dedication to work relentlessly for the poor and downtrodden as well as her work to eradicate poverty”, the release said.

Son runs off with stepmother

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London, October 20: An 18-year-old ran off with his stepmother after being reunited with his father for the first time since he was a baby, a court has heard.

Benjamin Smith met his father Andrew Smith in the summer of last year and moved in to his house to begin the family life both men had never enjoyed.

But the emotional reunion went disastrously wrong for the father.
Benjamin Smiith with his stepmother Dawn outside York Magistrate’s Court

His 34-year-old wife Dawn began an affair with her teenage stepson and eventually the marriage collapsed, York Magistrates’ Court was told.

Ahmadinejad asks Zardari to arrest Sunni leaders for attack

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Islamabad, October 20: Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today asked his Pakistani counterpart to quicky arrest the leaders of a Pakistan-based Sunni group blamed by Tehran for a suicide attack that killed 42 people, including top officers of the elite Revolutionary Guard.

“Iran and Pakistan have a brotherly relationship but the presence of terrorist elements in Pakistan is not justifiable,” Ahmadinejad told Asif Ali Zardari.

Man kills former staff over Rs600

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Mumbai, October 20: A 24-year-old man was killed allegedly by his former employer on Sunday morning because the victim, a zari worker, could not pay off Rs 600 he had borrowed from the latter.

Police said the deceased, Irshad Shaikh, 24, a resident of Malwani, had taken Rs1,200 from Guddu Ansari, 34. He returned Rs600 and left his job. But he could not pay the remaining amount because he could not get a new job.

Man murders friend for teasing sister

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Mumbai, October 20: Cops from Dadar police station arrested Sagar Bhosale, 24, on Friday for allegedly stabbing his friend Vikrant Todankar, 22, to death with a chopper in the early hours on Thursday near Jakhadevi traffic island at Dadar (West).

“Bhosale revealed that Todankar, a friend, had been teasing his younger sister for a year. Bhosale said he had requested Todankar many times to desist from doing so, but Todankar never listened to him. Fed up with Todankar’s behaviour, Bhosale decided to eliminate him,” said senior police inspector Ashok Unde of Dadar police station.

Now, China baits India on Kashmir

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New Delhi, October 20: The Chinese have added to their list of recent provocations against India, this time by questioning the status of Kashmir, ahead of a likely meeting between prime minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese premier Wen Jiabao in Thailand later this week.

In media kits provided by the Chinese authorities to journalists on a visit to Lhasa, Tibet, it was mentioned that Tibet “borders India, Nepal, Myanmar and the Kashmir area”, thereby not recognising the status of Kashmir as part of the Indian union.

Taliban threat real: Govt

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New Delhi, October 20: Amid Pakistan’s army and air force continuing with their offensive against the Taliban and al Qaeda in South Waziristan for the third day running, India has voiced concern over the situation across the border.

Apex court says stop cremation, but Asthana cremated Sunday

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New Delhi, October 20: The Supreme Court Monday directed that the body of Ashutosh Asthana, the prime accused-cum-witness in a corruption case involving judges of the higher judiciary, should not be cremated till further orders. However, the development came a day too late as the body was cremated Sunday evening, police said.

“The cremation took place yesterday (Sunday) at 6.30 p.m. His wife (Sushma Asthana – also an accused) came to attend the cremation,” said Circle Officer (First) of Ghaziabad R.K. Gautam.

Save the cow, urges VHP leader Togadia

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Lucknow, October 20: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Praveen Togadia, who has been campaigning vigorously across India to save the “mother cow”, advocated wide use of products made of cow dung and urine, including handwashes, shampoo and incense sticks.

Togadia was in the city to attend and address a gathering at the Sanatan Dharma Mandir of the ‘Vishwa Mangal Gau Gram Yatra’ (World Tour to save the Cow). He said: “It is high time that we Indians and Hindus should shun our defensive approach and become more aggressive.”

Suit filed against illegal fishing boats off Orissa coast

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Bhubaneswar, October 20: A public suit was filed in the Orissa High Court to check the illegal fishing boats in coastal areas which the petitioner maintained could “jeopardize the security of the country”.

“I have filed the petition to check the illegal fishing boats in the coastal areas, especially along the coast of Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapra district. The illegal fishing boats pose a serious security threat to the state and the nation as a whole,” said Nishikant Mishra, the petitioner and advocate of Orissa High Court.

What is Khanabadosh in London Dreams?

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Mumbai, October 20: The Khanabadosh track in London Dreams composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and written by Prasoon Joshi has sparked off major curiosity about the word-Khanabadosh Ever since the number (picturised on Ajay Devgan, Asin, Rannvijay Singh and Aditya Roy Kapoor) first air played, people have been trying to figure the meaning, language and etymology of the word

EU could cut Sri Lanka trade over rights abuses

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Brussels, October 20: The European Union (EU) could freeze key trade privileges to Sri Lanka worth tens of millions of euros a year because of human rights abuses, EU officials said Monday.

The EU’s executive, the European Commission, has completed a “thorough investigation into whether Sri Lanka is living up to the commitments it made to respect international human rights standards when it became a beneficiary of the EU’s GSP+trade incentive scheme”, commission trade spokesman Lutz Guellner said.

US finds first case of swine flu in pigs

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Washington, October 20: The US has detected the first case of swine flu in pigs, the Department of Agriculture said Monday.

The virus was found in a sample taken from a state fair in Minnesota. More samples were being tested, but the department said it was unlikely to spread because fair pigs are typically kept separately from large-scale commercial pig farms.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stressed that humans could not contract swine flu through pork products and urged other countries not to restrict US imports because of the discovery.

Iran vows to crush Sunnis behind terror attack

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Tehran, October 20: The chief of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard has accused Britain, the United States and Pakistan of having links with Sunni militants responsible for a suicide bombing that killed five senior guard commanders and 37 others.

Iran’s president said those behind Sunday’s bombing are hiding across the border in Pakistan, and in a phone call with his Pakistani counterpart on Monday he demanded their arrest.

Pakistani troops kill over 70 militants

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Islamabad, October 20: The Pakistani security forces have killed at least 78 militants as they continued their push into the Taliban heartland in South Waziristan Monday, the army said.

At least nine soldiers were killed and 35 others wounded since the new operation Rah-e-Nijat was launched in northwest Pakistan Saturday.

Major General Athar Abbas, director general of the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), said 18 insurgents and two soldiers were killed Monday in South Waziristan. Twelve security personnel were also injured.

No change in Kerry-Lugar bill possible, says US senator

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Islamabad, October 20: US Senator John Kerry has said no change is possible in the Kerry-Lugar bill that seeks to provide billions of dollars in aid to Pakistan.

As per the agreement, Islamabad is required to summit expenditure reports to the US. Washington wants it to ensure that the funds are used properly and for the desired objectives.

However, the Pakistani military and the politicians have criticised that the conditionalities in the deal is a “compromise on the country’s sovereignty”.

Talking to reporters here Monday, Kerry said the US respects Pakistan’s sovereignty.

US charges former NASA, Pentagon scientist with espionage

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Washington, October 20: A US scientist was arrested Monday and charged with attempted espionage after trying to sell secret documents to an undercover agent he believed was an Israeli spy, the US Justice Department said.

Stewart David Nozette, who has worked for the US departments of defence and energy and NASA, was charged later in the day in a district court in Washington.

The 52-year-old from Maryland will appear in the court Tuesday and could face life in prison if found guilty.

New York Times to lay off 100 from newsroom

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New York, October 20: The New York Times is to slash 100 jobs in its newsroom as the largest and most prestigious newspaper in the US continues to struggle with the drop in advertising and readership that is bedeviling the newspaper business.

Colombia probes vice president over militia ties

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Bogota, October 20: Colombian prosecutors have decided to open an investigation into the alleged ties between Vice President Francisco Santos and right-wing militias.

Acting Attorney General Guillermo Mendoza Diago has told a radio station in Bogota Monday that prosecutor Fernando Pareja has decided to overturn an earlier decision to shelve the investigation. He said more evidence is however needed to order a probe.

Santos is alleged to have asked AUC militia chief Salvatore Mancuso to create a paramilitary cell in Bogota, La W radio reported. The AUC militia is now demobilized.