Malaysians vote in closely-contested election
Kuala Lumpur, May 5 - Eighty per cent of Malaysian voters today cast their ballot in what is seen as a knife-edge election contest with one of the world's longest-serving governments that has been in power for almost six decades under threat from a resurgent opposition. Malaysians waited with bated breath as polling closed at 5pm (local time) to find out if the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN), which has governed uninterrupted for 56 years... |
Pakistan Ahmadis to boycott polls
M Zulqernain,
Lahore, May 5 - Pakistan's minority Ahmadi community today announced that it would boycott the general elections on May 11 to protest discrimination against its members. "No Ahmadi will vote on May 11 to register his or her protest on the discrimination against Ahmadis," said Saleemuddin, the spokesman for the Jamaat Ahmadiya Pakistan. |
Italy appoints special envoy to ensure ‘fair trial’ in marines case
May 5 - Amid the lingering issue of its marines facing trial in the killing of two fishermen in India, Italy has appointed Deputy Foreign Minister Staffan de Mistura as Special Envoy to work out a fair and balanced outcome of the matter. Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta, who assumed office on 28 April, appointed Mistura as his Special Envoy to handle the marines issue. |
20 Indian prisoners in Lahore jail mentally ill: Judicial panel
New Delhi, May 5 - Twenty out of 36 Indian prisoners lodged in Lahore's infamous Kot Lakhpat jail, where Sarabjit Singh was fatally attacked, have lost their mental balance and not been taken to any hospital for proper medical care, an India-Pakistan judicial panel has found. The India-Pakistan Judicial Committee on Prisoners, which visited Pakistani jails in Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore last week... |
Imran's party raise funds in US; transmits over USD 7 lakh
Washington, May 5 - Imran Khan, chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party and a staunch critic of America, is raising funds in the US through an agent to promote democracy and eradicate terrorism in his country, improve ties between the two nations, among other objectives. As per the filings made with the US Department of Justice, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, USA (the registered agent) transmitted funds... |
Authorities determined to ensure peaceful polls in Balochistan
Rezaul H Laskar,
Quetta, May 5 - Pakistani authorities are pulling out the stops to ensure peaceful polls in the restive province of Balochistan, which has at least two leaders of political parties arrayed against their brothers in insurgent groups that are opposed to the landmark general election. Over 2,800 of the 3,794 polling stations in Balochistan have been classified as "very sensitive" and more than 98,600 security personnel... |
Pakistan court extends Musharraf's remand by 14 days
Islamabad, May 4 - A special Pakistani anti-terrorism court here today extended the judicial remand of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf by 14 days, in connection with his decision to place judges under house arrest during the 2007 emergency. |
Former Finmeccanica chief Giuseppe Orsi released from jail
Rome, May 4 - Former Finmeccanica CEO Giuseppe Orsi, who faces an 'instant trial' in June over allegations of corruption in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal with India, was today released from jail. Orsi was released after about 80 days in pre-trial detention, Italian media reports said.
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India, Iran decide to give major push to their bilateral ties
Ajay Kaul,
Tehran, May 4 - India and Iran today decided to give a major push to their bilateral ties in all aspects including connectivity for which New Delhi will participate in the upgradation of strategically crucial Chahbahar port. During a meeting between External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi under the framework of Joint Commission, the two sides agreed to work on a trilateral transit agreement involving India, Iran and Afghanistan.
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Pak court adjourns Mumbai trial till May 18
Rezaul H Laskar,
Islamabad, May 4 - The trial of seven Pakistani suspects charged with involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks was today adjourned till May 18 due to the killing of the main prosecutor. Prosecutors from the Federal Investigation Agency asked Judge Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman of the anti-terrorism court to adjourn the case as chief prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali was killed in Islamabad yesterday.
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Non-resident Keralites calls for online head count NRK survey
Dubai, May 4 - Keralites living in the Gulf region appealed to the Kerala government to use online means to register people from the state living abroad. The Non-Resident Keralite (NRKs) survey which began on May 1 in Kerala along with the sixth economic census of the Central Statistical Organisation, will cover the entire household across the state to enumerate the exact number of people working abroad and also the expatriates.
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Legally working Indians in Saudi Arabia to be regularised
Dubai, May 4 - Indian workers who have travelled to Saudi Arabia legally will be allowed to regularise their visa status, get new jobs or to return home if they register voluntarily with the Saudi authorities during the three months grace period announced by the Kingdom, according to officials. This was among the issues discussed at the Joint Group meeting held this week at the Saudi Ministry of Labour. The group will continue their discussions next week, said a statement issued from the Indian embassy in Riyadh.
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Boston suspect died of gunshot wounds and trauma
Boston, May 4 - The slain Boston bombings suspect died of bullet wounds and blunt trauma to head and torso after being shot by the police and run over and dragged by a vehicle, according to his death certificate. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, died in an exchange of fire with the police in a neighbourhood here, three days after he and his younger brother Dzhokhar, 19, allegedly carried out the Boston Marathon bombings, killing three people and injuring more than 250.
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Pak prisoner case: Khoso asks India to ensure thorough probe
Rezaul H Laskar,
Islamabad, May 4 - Pakistans caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso today called on his Indian counterpart to personally look into an attack on a Pakistani prisoner in a jail in Jammu and ensure a thorough investigation. |
3 Pak prison officials suspended over attack on Sarabjit
Lahore, May 4 - A week after Indian national Sarabjit Singh was fatally attacked within a Pakistani jail, authorities today suspended three senior prison officials over the incident. The Home Secretary of Punjab province suspended the three officials from service for alleged negligence that led to the brutal attack on Sarabjit within Kot Lakhpat Jail.
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Taking a U-Turn, Malay Hindu group to support ruling coalition
Kuala Lumpur, May 3 - Ahead of the May 5 polls in Malaysia, the country's leading Hindu group today took a U-turn and decided to back the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Najib Razak, citing his sincerity towards the community. The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) Chairman P Wayathamoorthy today said his group will support the ruling coalition of Barisan Nasional (BN) in Sunday's general elections, satisfied with Razak's "sincere intention to help the ethnic Indian community".
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Trial in VVIP chopper scam to begin from June 19 in Italy
Rome, May 3 - The 'instant trial' here against ex-CEO of the Italian state-controlled defence giant Finmeccanica Giuseppe Orsi and the CEO of its helicopter unit Agusta Westland Bruno Spagnoli for alleged kickbacks in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal with India will begin on June 19. A judge in the northern Italian town of Busto Arsizio granted a prosecutor's request for the instant trial, which eliminates preliminary hearings, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
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FBI adds first woman to its most-wanted list
Washington, may 3 - The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has put a woman on its most wanted terrorist list for the first time, announcing a reward of $1 million for information leading to her arrest. Joanne Chesimard, a member of the extremist group Black Liberation Army, was convicted of killing a New Jersey state trooper 40 years ago during a routine traffic stop. |
Punish everyone responsible for Sarabjit's death: Pak media
Rezaul H Laskar,
Islamabad, May 3 - The murder of Indian death row convict Sarabjit Singh in a Pakistani jail has the potential to impact bilateral relations and authorities must get to the bottom of the affair and punish everyone responsible for his death, the Pakistani media said today. |
Indian techies creating jobs in US: study
Lalit K Jha,
Washington, May 3 - Challenging the assertion of several American lawmakers that H-1B visas grabbed by Indian IT professionals eat into their employment market, a new study by an eminent US think-tank has said that contrary to such perception, Indian techies create jobs in the country. |
Pak asks India to ensure safety and security of its citizens
Rezaul H Laskar,
Islamabad, May 3 - Expressing concern at the attack on one of its nationals lodged in a jail in Jammu, Pakistan today asked India to ensure the safety and security of all its citizens being held in prison. |
Boston bombers planned attack on American Independence Day
Lalit K Jha,
Washington, May 3 - Chechen-born Boston bombers had planned to carry out a suicide attack on American Independence Day on July 4, but they decided to prepone the D-day as their home-made pressure cooker bombs were ready earlier than expected. |
Gandhi's personal effects, documents to be auctioned in UK
H S Rao,
London, May 2 - Mahatma Gandhi's personal effects and documents, including his prayer beads, drinking cup, bed sheet and ivory-carved 'Three Wise Monkeys', will go under the hammer in the UK this month. Articles included in the sale are those which belonged to the Father of the nation when he was recovering from illness at Juhu in 1924.
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Incursion row: China declines to give timeline for its troops
Beijing, May 2 - China today declined to give any timeline for withdrawal of its troops from Depsang valley in Ladakh but said the issue that has sparked new tensions in bilateral ties "will be properly resolved soon through negotiations". "You raised a very specific question and I want to reiterate that Chinese troops carry out normal patrols on Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China", Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying told a media briefing.
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Indian govt maintaining silence, ambiguity over border row: Chinese Media
KJM Varma,
Beijing, May 2 - Indicating that China is unlikely to yield to India's concerns over incursion by its troops in Ladakh, a state-run newspaper today used tough language to criticise Indian government, opposition and the media. |
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