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Sat, 11 May 2013
Anger over burial of Boston bomb suspect
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23:20 Anger over burial of Boston bomb suspect
Al Jazeera: Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev has been buried in a rural cemetery in Virginia, infuriating some members of the area's Muslim community as well as local officials who said they were not consulted. Some of the officials said on Friday that that they would examine whether all laws were followed and could seek to have his body moved elsewhere. They said they were not informed about the burial and were concerned about the site becoming a shrine to anti-US sympathisers.
This week's interment at a small Islamic cemetery ended a long search for a community willing to take the body, which had been kept at a funeral parlour in Massachusetts. Tsarnaev was killed on April 19 after a gun battle with police.
His younger brother, Dzhokhar, was captured later and remains in custody.
Image: The sign for Al-Barzakh Islamic Cemetery is seen in Doswell, Virginia, where Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev has been buried. Photograph: Yuri Gripas/Reuters
23:02 Nawaz wins Sargodha, Imran triumphs in Peshawar
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has won fromSargodha constituency in Pakistan's Punjab province, PTI reports.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan has won from NA-1 (Peshawar-I). ANP's Ghulam Bilour has admitted defeat from Imran Khan on NA-1 (Peshawar-I). Khan won 66,464 votes from the seat, Dawn News reports. Imran Khan's PTI has also swept Swat, winning two National Assembly seats NA-29 Swat-I and Swat- 2 NA-30 according to latest reports.
22:42 Turkey blast death toll continues to climb
Turkey has said it will take all measures against those testing the country's power after two car bombs killed 41 people and injured 100 others. The blast occurred on Saturday in a crowded area of the small town of Reyhanli in the southern
Turkish province of Hatay, just a few kilometres from the main border crossing into Syria. Bulent Arinc, the deputy prime minister of Turkey, said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government were the "usual suspects" behind the deadly car bombs.
Read the full story on Al Jazeera
Photograph: Reuters
21:59 Anti-Posco leader arrested in Odisha
Anti-Posco leader Abhay Sahu was arrested today in connection with several cases, including a bomb blast in which three people had been killed at the proposed steel plant site in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district.
After being arrested from Bhubaneswar by a police team from Jatatsinghpur, Sahu was taken to Kujanga near Paradip and produced before a court which remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days, police said.
"Sahu, who was to leave for Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, was arrested from Bhubaneswar by a police team shortly before (the) departure of his flight," Deputy Superintendent of Police (Paradip) Bhabani Shankar Mishra said.
21:57 Kerala youth shot dead in Ghana by robbers
A Kerala youth was shot dead by robbers in West African country Ghana where he had gone for business deals of a cashew processing comapny he was employed with, according to information received by his family in Kollam.
The victim was identified as Rajesh Muraleedharan, 23, from Puthoor near Kottarakkara town in Kollam district of Kerala. According to information received by his relatives today, Rajesh died on May 9 in a hospital where he was admitted with bullet injuries after he was fired at by a gang that broke into the rented house he was living in.
Rajesh, working as quality inspector of a private cashew factory in Kollam, had gone to Ghana in January for purchasing raw nuts for the factory, sources said. There were also some other Keralites staying with him, who informed Rajesh's family of the incident. His relatives, however, could not say in which place in Ghana their kin was living when he was attacked.
21:56 Pak's EC to probe allegations of rigging in Karachi
Pakistan Election Commission tonight announced to investigate allegations of rigging at many polling stations in the country's financial hub Karachi and warned that parties found guilty would have their results annulled.
"We have received complaints about rigging from several constituencies in Karachi and Hyderabad and we will be investigating them," Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim said.
He said that re-polling will take place in more than 40 polling stations in NA-250 constituency in Karachi. It was alleged that at many stations there was no staff and ballot boxes were absent or snatched by miscreants. The EC has ordered that polling taking place in these constituencies be stopped immediately.
21:22 Pakistan elections: Nawaz Sharif set to win most seats
Former Pakistan cricket star Imran Khan's party was enjoying a late surge of support on Friday, the eve of a landmark election, raising the prospect of a fragmented parliament that could lead to weeks of haggling to form a coalition government.
The failure of the major parties to capture a commanding lead raises the risk a weak government will emerge, clouding optimism over the first transition between civilian governments in a country that has been ruled by the military for more than half its history.The party of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif looks set to win the most seats, returning Sharif to power 14 years after he was ousted in a military coup, imprisoned and later exiled.
20:45 Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to stand for Iran presidency
Iranian ex-President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has registered for June's presidential election, a few minutes before an official deadline. Correspondents say Mr Rafsanjani, 78, is virtually assured the support of reformers and could pose a real challenge to the country's conservative leadership. Constitutionally, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad cannot stand again.
19:52 Trinamool equidistant from UPA and NDA: Sougata
Senior Trinamool Congress leader Sougata Roy today said his party was trying to maintain equal distance from the NDA and the UPA. "Trinamool is based in West Bengal. We cannot form a third front on our own. We are trying to maintain equal distance from both NDA and UPA," Roy told reporters in Kolkata when asked about the possibility of formation of a third front.
Roy, who had resigned as adviser to the West Bengal government's industry, commerce and IT department two months ago, also indicated that he might rejoin.
Photograph: Reuters
18:58 Pak voting ends; Nawaz Sharif leading in Sargodha
Voting has ended in almost all the constituencies in Pakistan, except some seats in Karachi which were hit by violence earlier in the day. Counting of seats is underway.
As per early trends, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif is leading in Sargodha. Reports also indicate the Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e-Isaf is leading Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Mianwali.
Click here for more live updates on Pakistan voting
Image: Reuters
18:20 Pak EC extends voting time by 1 hour
Pakistan Election Commission today extended the time for voting by an hour following large voter turnout across the country in the landmark elections. The voting was set to end at 5 pm (local time) but sizable number of voters kept arriving at the polling stations. Subsequently, the Election Commission announced that voting will continue till 6 pm (6:30 IST).
In some constituencies in Karachi, polling was extended till 7 pm (7:30 IST) as voters faced problems earlier in the day. Election officials said that turn out was expected to be 60 per cent.
17:49 India most important partner in Asia, says Kerry
There is no more important partner for the United States in Asia than India and the growing convergence interests and outlook has brought about unprecedented cooperation between the two nations on regional and global security, a top US official has said.
"President Obama has called our partnership with India a 'defining partnership for the 21st century'. And as we go about the much-talked about 'Asia rebalance', there's no more important partner for the United States in the region than India," said assistant secretary of state Robert Blake during a talk at Boston University's India Symposium in Boston.
"The growing convergence of our interests and outlook has brought about unprecedented cooperation on regional and global security, economics and trade, education, science and technology, clean energy, health, and counter-terrorism," he said.
Blake said the governments of the two nations have worked hard, especially in the last decade, to broaden and deepen this cooperation. He said the US is preparating for the fourth round of the Strategic Dialogue, which will be held in New Delhi next month.
Photograph: Reuters
17:02 Escape tunnel case: FIR names four jail officers
The city police's Crime Branch has filed a FIR against a jail superintendent and three jailers, along with six others, for trying to cover up the seriousness and extent of the sensational jail-break attempt at the Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad.
"Nine accused have been charged for destruction of evidence, giving false statements, etc," Crime Branch DCP Himanshu Shukla said.
This is apart from the case lodged against those who dug the tunnel.
17:00 CBI probe in chit fund scam depends on HC order: PC
Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said that a CBI inquiry into the chit fund scam in West Bengal depends on the decision of the Calcutta high court.
"The CBI has told the Calcutta high court that it can probe the chit fund scam if the HC entrusts it the task," Chidambaram told reporters.
"It all depends on the decision of the Calcutta high court," he added.
16:59 Zardari votes through postal ballot
President Asif Ali Zardari has cast his vote for Pakistan's general election through postal ballot, the presidential spokesman has said.
Zardari cast his vote by postal ballot in Karachi, spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.
16:58 BJP's national executive meeting in Panaji from June 7-9
The national executive meeting of the BJP would be held in Panaji from June 7-9, a BJP spokesperson said today.
Goa BJP spokesperson Dr Wilfred Mesquita told reporters that the decision to hold the executive meet was taken at a meeting in March.
16:57 Did not assign blame for incursion: Khurshid
"India and China are working on a new Border Defence Cooperation Agreement," said Khurshid.
"We did not do any post-mortem or put blame for the recent incursion; the established mechanisms worked well," said Khurshid.
"India and China underlined that things like the recent incursion in Ladakh should not happen, but also agreed that this issue should not come in the way of improving ties," said Khurshid.
16:41 Khurshid visit reflects stability of ties: Chinese daily
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid's visit to China despite opposition from several quarters in India, reflects the stability of bilateral relations and the importance New Delhi attaches to its ties with Beijing, an influential official daily has said.
"Since the China-Indian border confrontation, the Indian opposition parties, military, and media have pressured the government to cancel the foreign minister's plan to visit China," the ruling Communist Party-run Peoples Daily Online said in an article titled China-India have great wisdom to handle sensitive issues.
16:40 Retrial of former Egyptian president Mubarak begins
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak today appeared in court for a fresh trial in a case related to the deaths of protesters during the uprising against his rule in 2011.
His two sons, Gamal and Alaa, along with former interior minister Habib El-Adly and six former aides, were also in court today to face the charges.
16:19 China visit fruitful, talks on border row soon: Khurshid
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, who recently completed a two-day official visit, said that his meeting with the Chinese foreign minister was a fruitful one.
He added that Beijing had made certain suggestions on border protocols and the two sides will hold talks on the issue in a few months.
India and China will issue a joint statement after the visit of the Chinese premier later in May, he said.
Khurshid added that India had already drawn the economic agreements that was to be signed during the Chinese PM's visit.
He agreed that the two nations needed to address the trade imbalance.
15:45 Why was PM trying to save Ashwani?
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tried his best to save Ashwani Kumar, who is considered to be close to the PM.
This raises questions about whether, by allegedly altering the draft report by the CBI on coal-gate, Kumar was trying to protect the PM,.
15:42 President accepts resignations of Bansal, Ashwani
President Pranab Mukherjee, as advised by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has accepted the resignations of Pawan Kumar Bansal and Ashwani Kumar with immediate effect
As advised by the prime minister, President Mukherjee has directed that the additional charge of the ministry of railways and the ministry of law and justice shall be given to Dr C P Joshi and Kapil Sibal respectively.
13:56 Cabinet reshuffle likely soon, Sonia calls Congress meeting
Congress President Sonia Gandhi has called a meeting of top Congress leaders to discuss the political situation in the wake of the resignations of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar and Railway Minister P K Bansal.
However, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will not attend the meeting, said sources, adding that Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel will brief Dr Singh after the meeting.
Reports also indicated that a cabinet reshuffle is likely next week.
Union Telecom Minister Kabil Sabil has been entrusted additional charge of the law ministry till the reshuffle, while Transport Minister C P Joshi has been given the charge of the railway ministry.
13:50 Resignation only option for PM: Rajnath
If the prime minister does an honest introspection, then resignation is the only option for him, BJP President Rajnath Singh said on Saturday.
13:10 Anthony commissions MiG-29 K fighter planes into Navy
Defence Minister A K Antony today commissioned warfare aircraft MiG-29 K Black Panther squadron into the Indian Navy.
The commissioning was held at INS Hansa which would be the base for Black Panther squadron along with other fighter aircraft squadrons of the Indian Navy.
The squadron initially comprising 16 aircraft would be known as IANS 303.
13:10 Anti-Posco leader arrested in Odisha
Anti-Posco leader Abhay Sahu was arrested today in connection with several cases including a bomb blast in the proposed steel project site in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district, the police said.
"Sahu, who was to leave for Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu to attend a meeting there, was arrested from Bhubaneswar by a police team from Jagatsinghpur shortly before the departure of his flight," said Deputy Superintendent of Police, Paradip, Bhabani Shankar Mishra.
13:07 PM congratulates Siddaramaiah
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today congratulated Siddaramaiah on his election as chief minister of Karnataka.
The prime minister also wished him "well for the future."
Siddaramaiah was on Friday elected as the leader of the Congress Legislative Party in the state.
13:06 Senior TDP leader Kadiyam Srihari quits party
Senior TDP leader and politburo member Kadiyam Srihari today quit the party expressing displeasure over a host of issues, including the party's ambivalent stand on the Telangana statehood issue.
Srihari, once a lecturer, had been with the TDP since its inception and served as an MLA for four terms. He was also a minister in the Chandrababu Naidu Cabinet in the late 1990s.
12:39 SC said nothing against me, my conscience clear: Ashwani
Former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar on Saturday claimed that he had resigned on Friday to "end the unnecessary controversy over the observations of the Supreme Court, which made no adverse remarks against me".
He added, "People of this country, my friends who stood by me and my colleagues know me for who I am".
Speaking on his resignation, he said, "It is by no stretch of the imagination an admission of wrongdoing. Certain political decisions are taken because they are necessary. I am proud to be a loyal foot soldier of the party".
Kumar also claimed that it was "unfortunate that the reality was not presented".
He added that he had not lost the support of the leaders of his party.
"My conscience is clear, I will be vindicated," he said.
11:23 8 killed in Aizawl landslide
Eight people were killed and 11 are missing in a massive landslide in Aizawl today morning.
11:09 No visa, only video: Modi to address US event
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will address yet another event in the United States via video conferencing on Sunday.
Modi has been denied a visa to visit the US for his alleged role in the 2002 post-Godhra riots.
The event has been organised by DESI at a venue in the University of Maryland as part of the "53rd anniversary celebrations of the founding of the State of Gujarat".
11:04 Blast near poll office in Karachi kills 5
Five people have been killed in a blast near an election office in Karachi in Pakistan.
The Taliban had threatened wide-scale violence if the Pakistan government held the national election on May 11.
11:02 Amitabh Bachchan a fan of Grey's Anatomy!
Actor Amitabh Bachchan talks about his Hollywood debut in The Great Gatsby, how the atmosphere on Indian film sets has changed since the 1960s and his favourite American TV shows.
10:52 Who was Sanaullah Ranjha?
Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah Ranjha, who died recently after being attacked by a fellow inmate in a Jammu jail, was part of the prison's 'piper band'.
Sanaullah, who was convicted for terror activities in India, claimed to be an illiterate Pakistani who had crossed the border by mistake.
09:43 Defying Taliban's threats, Pakistan goes to polls
Pakistanis began voting today for a landmark democratic transition of power after a bloody campaign, marred by Taliban violence that killed over 100 people and, forced key parties to abandon political rallies.
Polling for the 2013 general election started across the country where masses will cast their vote to elect their representatives for the next five-year term.
Long queues of people were seen outside polling stations well before the start of polling.
02:02 'Strong evidence' Syria used chem weapons: US
US Secretary of State John Kerry said today there was "strong evidence" that the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had used chemical weapons against rebel forces.
"This fight is about the terrible choices that the Assad regime has made with its willingness to kill anywhere... to use gas, which we believe there is strong evidence of use of," Kerry said during a Google+ hangout.
The US government cited for the first time two weeks ago the Syrian regime's possible use of chemical weapons against its own people, but President Barack Obama stressed there was insufficient proof to determine whether a "red line" had been crossed.
01:58 Hundreds register for Iran's presidential race
Four prominent Iranian politicians have joined hundreds of potential candidates who have applied to run in the June 14 presidential election.
The race will pick a successor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is barred by the constitution from seeking a third term, and offer a critical test for reformists battered after years of crackdowns.
01:52 Syrian Islamists to be added to UN sanctions list: diplomats
The UN Security Council will add the Al-Qaeda-linked Syrian militants Al-Nusra Front to its sanctions blacklist next week, diplomats said today.
Following a move by France and Britain, the Islamist group, which has become one of the most feared fighting forces in Syria's two-year-old conflict, will be subject to a global asset freeze from Tuesday, the diplomats told AFP.
A pledge of allegiance by Al-Nusra's chief Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani to Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has caused divisions among the rebel groups battling President Bashar al-Assad.
01:48 US envoy holds border talks with rebels: US
US ambassador to Syria Robert Ford met with Syrian rebel commanders at a border crossing with Turkey this week, the State Department confirmed today, saying the envoy crossed briefly into Syria.
Ford held talks with General Selim Idriss, who heads the rebels' Supreme Military Council, and Colonel Abdel Jabbar al-Okaidi, the head of the Free Syrian Army's fighters in Aleppo, State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said.
"While at the border crossing, he discussed the situation on the ground with commanders and other Syrians," Ventrell told AFP.
01:47 Marines on alert if US personnel evacuate Libya
Several dozen combat-ready U.S. Marines stationed in southern Spain have been put on alert to potentially move into Libya and assist in the evacuation of American personnel if the unrest grows there in the coming days, a senior military official confirms to CNN.
The Marines have not yet moved from their base, but could be ordered to move closer to Libya so they could get there faster if a full evacuation is ordered.
01:45 Benghazi memo edits show State, White House involvement
A top State Department official pressed the CIA and the White House to delete any mention of terrorism in public statements on the Benghazi terror attack to prevent critics from blaming lax security at the consulate, according to documents obtained by ABC News.
The information "goes right to the heart of what the White House continues to deny," Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, told USA TODAY. "For eight months they denied there's any manipulation, but this continues to shed light on something that was never true."
01:21 Muslim, Christian groups clash in US libel suit
A Muslim group is accusing a Christian organization of defamation for publishing a book that accuses the Muslim collective of holding terrorist training in its enclaves.
The Christian Action Network refuses to back down, challenging Muslims of America Inc. to prove the allegations wrong in an upstate New York court. The Muslim group has a community in Hancock, near Binghamton, New York, and others around the US It calls the network's accusations deliberate and damaging lies.
Attorney Tahirah Amatul-Wadud said the Muslim group is seeking retractions and USD 18 million in damages, and a halt to further publication of network founder Martin Mawyer's 2012 book, "Twilight in America: the Untold Story of Terrorist Training Camps Inside America."
01:02 Fake pope held in Rome for looking like John Paul II
A Slovak street performer dressed in white papal vestments has been detained and fined by the police in Rome for bearing too close a resemblance to the late John Paul II, the police said today.
"The problem was that he looked a lot like Karol Wojtyla. He was detained for usurpation of title which is a misdemeanour," a police spokeswoman told AFP. "The cassock he was wearing has been confiscated," she added.
The man has been released and will have to pay between 154 and 929 euros (USD 200 and USD 1,200), depending on a decision by a judge, the spokeswoman said.
00:56 Fake pope held in Rome for looking like John Paul II
A Slovak street performer dressed in white papal vestments has been detained and fined by the police in Rome for bearing too close a resemblance to the late John Paul II, the police said today.
"The problem was that he looked a lot like Karol Wojtyla. He was detained for usurpation of title which is a misdemeanour," a police spokeswoman told AFP. "The cassock he was wearing has been confiscated," she added.
The man has been released and will have to pay between 154 and 929 euros (USD 200 and USD 1,200), depending on a decision by a judge, the spokeswoman said.
00:56 Cuban spy officially stripped of US citizenship
A Cuban intelligence agent who served 13 years in a US prison has officially been stripped of his American citizenship.
Rene Gonzalez said today he received a certificate of loss of nationality from the US diplomatic mission in Havana this week.
Gonzalez, who was a dual national, volunteered to give up his US citizenship in return for being allowed to stay in Cuba with his family.
00:21 Chinese media hails Khurshid's visit
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid's visit to China reaffirmed the consensus of the two neighbours to achieve win-win results despite attempts by Western media to drive a wedge between the two counties, Chinese media said today.
Khurshid's trip drew world's attention as it took place soon after a border incident between the two nations, and Western media tended to cast China-India ties in the light of "border row" or "strategic rivalry."
00:20 Cameron meets Putin in new push to end Syria war
British Prime Minister David Cameron and Russian President Vladimir Putin today discussed joint options for ending the crisis in Syria amid a new diplomatic push to resolve the two-year conflict.
Cameron's rare call on Putin at his summer vacation residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi came three days after top US and Russian diplomats agreed to make a joint effort in search of a solution.
00:19 Iran recalls its ambassador in Cyprus
Iran has responded by Cyprus' decision to extradite an Iranian to the United States for prosecution by recalling its ambassador in Nicosia, officials said today.
The Cyprus Foreign Ministry said Iran objected to last month's decision to send Iranian Saeid Mohabat to the US to face charges of breaching United Nations sanctions against Iran, and that Iran responded by recalling its ambassador on Wednesday "for consultations" in Tehran.
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