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Gulf-based terror
cells planning attack on India: Report Virginia
(US): The threat perception on vital installations in three coastal states
Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa has been increased manifold following intelligence
reports of the banned Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) channelising huge amounts of money
from its Gulf-based networks for terror strikes against the country. According
to a report in the Terrorism Monitor, a periodical published by the Virginia based
Jamestown Foundation, intelligence authorities have revealed that the LeT's marine
wing is planning a repeat of the 26/11 Mumbai attack, and is on the look out for
an incursion into India via the western sea-coast. Recently, Union Home Minister
P.Chidambaram had also raised fears about terrorists using the sea route to strike
at strategic locations along the western cost. Intelligence authorities have also
confirmed the Gulf link to terror in India. There are several LeT cells operating
in the Gulf that have financed and facilitated terrorist operations against India,
the report said. The arrest of Muhammad Omar Madni, who is believed to be a close
aide of Lashkar chief Hafeez Muhammad Saeed revealed the impending threat to India
through the sea route. Madni's arrest and interrogation revealed several startling
details, including new routes used by terrorists, the location of bases inside
and outside India, terrorist finances, and the recruitment strategy of the LeT.
The investigations carried out by Mumbai Police's crime branch also revealed that
the November 2008 Mumbai attacks were financed by LeT's Gulf cells, the report
said. During the probe it was also found that it was the Gulf-based operatives
that had masterminded and executed a series of blasts in various cities such as
Bangalore, Ahmadabad, Delhi and Surat in 2008, it added. These serial terror attack
was carried out with of the Indian Mujahedeen (IM) operatives and the banned Student
Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), the report went on to add. With the increasing
threat perception from the middle-east, India is now seeking a comprehensive anti-terrorism
treaty with the Gulf nations, the report concluded. Indian
software engineer shot at in South Africa Top Warangal
(Andhra Pradesh): An Indian software engineer from Andhra Pradesh was shot
at by unidentified assailants in Johannesburg in South Africa. B Kiran, who was
working in South Africa for the past two years, was attacked last Thursday when
while returning from work. Kiran's father B Shankaraiah on Tuesday said that he
was hit by two bullets. "Kiran, who left for Johannesburg on June 27, is now out
of danger," Shankaraiah added. Kiran is a native of Arepalli village near Warangal.
Gujarat HC judge
declines to hear case against Modi Top Ahmedabad:
A Gujarat High Court judge has declined to hear a case challenging a probe
by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) against state Chief Minister Narendra
Modi and 62 others in the 2002 post-Godhra riots. Citing personal reasons, Justice
H N Devani in the High Court said: "Not before me". The court was scheduled to
hear the case as SIT officials, complainant Zakia Jafri and social activist Teesta
Setalvad have already filed their replies. The writ petition was filed on June
5 by former BJP MLA from Lunavada, Kalu Maliwad against the probe being conducted
by SIT with regard to a complaint made by widow of ex-MP from Congress Ahsan Jafri.
In her complaint Jafri 's wife alleged that Modi, his cabinet colleagues, police
officials and senior bureaucrats aided and abetted post-Godhra riots. Jafri was
killed with 38 persons in Gulberg society in 2002. The Supreme Court had ordered
the SIT to probe the complaint within three months and submit its report. Maliwad,
who was acquitted, has said that the Supreme Court directed the SIT to look into
Jafri's complaint. Deemed
universities allowed to get rid of their 'deemed' tag Top
New Delhi: The University Grants Commission has allowed deemed universities
to eliminate 'deemed' from their name, and identify themselves as universities,
minister of state for higher education D Purandeswari on Tuesday said. Purandeswari
told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply that the UGC has granted the use of term
'University' for such institutions. the decision was taken following a recommendation
in this regard by a committee comprising heads of UGC and All India Council of
Technical Education (AICTE) and a former secretary of higher education. The government
has granted deemed university status to 128 institutions by June this year, including
62 in the last five years. Tamil Nadu has the maximum 29 such institutions followed
by Maharashtra (21), Karnataka (15), Delhi (11) and Uttar Pradesh (10), she said.
The increase in the number of deemed universities has attracted criticism from
several quarters. The government-appointed committee on 'Renovation and Rejuvenation
of Higher Education', headed by Prof Yashpal, has suggested that grant of such
status be put on hold till rationale guidelines are evolved. Former
ISRO chief to join Planning Commission: Montek Top New
Delhi: Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Tuesday
said that Rajya Sabha member Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan will be appointed as a
member of the commission. "Dr K Kasturirangan has to be appointed as member of
the Planning Commission but he has not been appointed formally so far because
he has to resign as Rajya Sabha member for the purpose," said Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
Dr. Kasturirangan was responsible for directing the Indian Space programme for
over 9 years, as Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the
Space Commission and as Secretary to the Government of India in the Department
of Space, before retiring on August 27 2003. He was earlier the Director of ISRO
Satellite Centre, overseeing the development of new generation spacecraft, the
Indian National Satellite (INSAT-2) and the Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS-1A
and 1B) as well as scientific satellites. He was also the Project Director for
India's first two experimental earth observation satellites, Bhaskara-I and II.
Dr. Krishnaswamy is also a recipient of the three civilian awards from the Government
of India, the Padma Shri (1982), Padma Bhushan (1992) and Padma Vibhushan (2000).
Gill says stadiums
for Commonwealth Games will be completed on time Top New
Delhi: Union Sports Minister M S Gill on Tuesday admitted that there have
been some lapses in the preparation of venues for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
He, however, assured that recovery plans have been put in place to complete all
infrastructure related projects on time. "The sports infrastructure work is progressing
satisfactory. There have been instances of slippage in a few project milestones
for which appropriate recovery schedules have been prepared and it is estimated
that all the projects will be completed as per schedule," Gill said, responding
to a query during the Question Hour in Lok Sabha. Gill also informed the House
about the penalties being imposed on the defaulters. "Delhi Development Authority
has imposed a penalty of 50 lakh rupees on the contractor for delay in completion
of squash court in Siri Fort Complex," he said. Dhoni's
cricket fans celebrate his birthday in Ranchi Top
Ranchi: Fans of Indian cricket captain Mahendra
Singh Dhoni celebrated his 28th birthday on Tuesday at Mecon Stadium near his
residence in Jharkhand capital, Ranchi town. Dhoni was born in 1981 and grew up
in Ranchi. Dhoni was not present in Ranchi, but his fans marked the day by cutting
a huge cake and distributing sweets to each other. Members of the Dhoni Fans Club
put up big banners and posters across Ranchi. His well-wishers prayed for his
happiness and success. "First of all, I want to wish him (M S Dhoni) a very Happy
Birthday and I wish him all the happiness," said Anuradha, a female fan of Dhoni.
Jitender Singh, President of Dhoni Fans Club, said that the club would set up
a Cricket Academy to felicitate young talents from the slum areas. "On this occasion
we are opening a cricket academy on the way to the airport. We have contacted
all the good players of Ranchi and Jharkhand and they have promised to train the
young budding players," Singh said. "We also have made some special arrangements
for the children from slums, who wants to play but due to lack of opportunity
fail to do so. We would open a hostel with funds collected by the Dhoni Fans Club
wherein all those facilities would be provided to the players," he added. Recently,
fans had burnt Dhoni's effigy in Ranchi, blaming him for defending champions India's
humiliating exit from the Twenty20World Cup. Indian fans singled out Dhoni, hailed
as a natural leader since captaining the team to victory in the inaugural Twenty20
World Cup in South Africa, as the villain. Dhoni was blamed for shuffling the
order and failing to shake off his own subdued batting form when a captain's innings
was badly needed. Air
India to reduce top posts, start low-cost service Top
New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel
on Tuesday said that a major revamp of Air India’s top management would be carried
out in 30 days and it would start low-cost domestic operations in a bid to turn
around the cash-strapped airline in the next two years. According to sources,
the entire top management of Air India, which is under a loan liability of Rs
15,000 crore, would be recast in the next 30 days. Several old time directors
might be asked to leave and a Professional Chief Operating Officer will be appointed
under the Chairman and Managing Director. “You will see in the next 30 days a
major change in the top management in Air India. You are going to see a major
change in the board. Some heads are going to roll. We are going to bring high
quality people of great integrity and people with a proven track record in business,”
said Praful Patel. Apart from the massive trim, the airline has also been told
to begin domestic low cost flights. “AI must enter the domestic low cost segment.
That's where the growth is and is something that Jet and Kingfisher have already
done. It''s upto the airline whether to use AI Express for that purpose or have
something else,” Praful Patel added. The Civil Aviation Minister''s remarks follows
reports that Air India was expecting an estimated loss of about Rs 5,000 crore
in the 2008-09 financial year. Prime
Minister leaves for Italy to attend G-8 Summit Top New
Delhi: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Tuesday left for Italy to attend
the G-8 Summit in L'Aquila. Before his departure, Dr. Singh said he would project
India's views on major global issues of economic and financial crisis. "During
my visit, I will discuss several issues relating to the world economic and financial
crisis and its impact on development, food and energy security, climate change,
international trade negotiations and reform of international with G-8 leaders
and those from outreach countries like China, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa,"
Dr. Singh said. "I will also participate in the meetings of the Major Economies
Forum on trade matters and climate change, as well as a meeting on food security
being organized by Italy with the participation of several African nations," he
added. "The global financial and economic slowdown that we are witnessing is particularly
detrimental for the development objectives of developing countries such as India.
This has not been a crisis of our making, but we have had to bear its consequences.
The slowdown in the advanced economies has affected our exports, strengthened
protectionists sentiments and impacted credit and capital flows," he said. He
added, "We would, therefore, like to see a concerted and well-coordinated global
response to address systemic failures and to stimulate the real economy. In the
longer run, we would like to see a much higher level of stability and sustainability
in the growth patterns of the developed world, and in international financial
governance." "The issues of food and energy security and climate change are closely
interlinked. They have to be approached as a single undertaking if we are to give
meaning to the concept of sustainable development," he said. About climate change,
Dr. Singh said, "India will actively participate in the international negotiations
on climate change within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention
on climate change and the Bali Action Plan." During his four-day visit, Dr. Singh
is expected to meet US President Barack Obama and other world leaders. He will
discuss several issues, including climate change, energy and food security with
G-8 leaders and those from outreach countries like China, Brazil, Mexico and South
Africa. Prior to the G-8 leaders meeting, he will attend a meeting of the G-5
group China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa. The summit will primarily
focus on winding down expensive stimulus packages for recession-hit financial
systems. Besides the financial crisis, the summit will also discuss the issue
of protectionism, food and energy security. This will be the fifth time that the
Prime Minister will attend a G-8 summit since 2003.
Murder case filed against 14 policemen
in Dehradun encounter Top Dehradun:
The Uttarakhand police on Tuesday registered a murder case against all policemen
allegedly involved in the recent encounter death of Ranbir Singh, a 24-year old
management student in the state capital. Singh was killed in the encounter that
took place in Dehradun, the provincial capital of Uttrakhand state on Friday.
A case under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered
against all the policemen on the basis of complaint lodged by RP Singh, the victim''s
father. "First it will be our aim to investigate the case in a transparent manner.
Government has already ordered a CID (crime investigation department) probe in
this case which has been registered yesterday… we have already sent our permission
for CID investigation," said Abhinav Kumar, senior superintendent of police, Dehradun.
The post-mortem report said there were 12 bullet marks on Singh''s body, indicating
that he was fired at from a close range. Meanwhile, a 15-member team of provincial
Crime Investigation Department (CID) has started investigations. "The investigation
of the case has been handed to CID (crime investigation department) and a 15-member
team has started its investigations," said Vimla Gunjyal, assistant superintendent
of police, CID. Ranbir was riding a motorcycle with his two friends when a police
team stopped him at a check post. Police alleged that the three men got into an
altercation with a sub-inspector who had asked them to stop and then fled into
a nearby forest after snatching his service revolver. In the ensuing encounter,
Ranbir was gunned down while the other two managed to escape, police said.
Illicit liquor kills seven in Ahmedabad
Top
Ahmedabad: Seven
persons died on Tuesday after consuming illicit liquor in Majoor Gam area here.
According to the police, five others, in critical condition, are undergoing treatment
at the hospital. Two have been admitted in L G Hospital while the rest are in
V S Hospital. The deceased are Bhavan Solanki, Kanti Ahir, Arvind Solanki, Manilal
Purbia, Valji Valera, Jeshbhai Marvadi and Pradeep Solanki. The incident took
place when some people after consuming spurious liquor complained of vomiting
and stomach ache. The incident has sparked off protests in the area with women
taking to the streets demanding government and police to crack down on all illegal
liquor dens in the state. Police did a mild lathicharge to control the situation.
Jackson’s memorial
to be bigger global online event than Obama's inauguration Top London:
Michael Jackson's memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles is
expected to be an even bigger global internet video-viewing event than the inauguration
of US President Barack Obama. Facebook users will be able to share thoughts while
watching free streaming video of the memorial at CNN Live, ABC, and E! Online
websites. A Michael Jackson page at Facebook has already topped 6.5 million fans,
unseating Obama's "fan page" as the most popular at the California-based social
networking service. "We are preparing for numbers that easily outweigh the inauguration.
There is just so much global reach for this star; something about him or his music
has touched people around the world," the Telegraph quoted Randi Zuckerberg, Facebook's
marketing director, as saying. The same technology used to stream CNN coverage
of Obama's inauguration - Facebook Connect - will be put to work letting people
watch the Jackson memorial. “Internet users across the globe can watch live while
simultaneously updating their Facebook status and following their friends on Facebook
- and other Jackson fans around the world,” said a statement issued by Facebook.
More than 800,000 free virtual versions of Jackson''s famous glove have been sent
to Facebook members as free gifts. Within a week after Jackson''s death on June
25 at age 50, millions of people flocked to the official Michael Jackson channel
at YouTube. The rate at which visitors followed "click-to-buy" links to purchase
Jackson music at online shops leapt by a multiple of 46, according to YouTube.
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