Dhaka said today it has resumed sending workers to Iraq after a three-month ban, despite reports of hundreds of Bangladeshi construction labourers being dragged into the country's bloody sectarian conflict.
Bangladesh suspended sending workers to Iraq in June after Sunni militants from the Islamic State began seizing large parts of the country from the Iraqi army.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today condoled the loss of lives in Jammu and Kashmir floods and sanctioned Rs 2 lakh for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the seriously injured. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the loss of lives in the floods in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad, who underwent a cardiac surgery here recently, has been shifted out of the intensive care unit of the Asian Heart Institute.
"Lalu Prasad showed encouraging progress today as he was moved out of the intensive care unit. He is having normal food now," Asian Heart Institute's Medical Director Vijay D'Silva said in a statement.
Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat has been booked for allegedly disrespecting the national flag.
"It is a court-referred matter. Following the court directive, a case under Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 has been registered by Falaknuma Police against Mallika Sherawat," said Assistant Commissioner of Police Mohammed Abdul Bari.
Qadir and Samiuddin, two city residents, had a approached a local magistrate's court seeking registration of a case against Sherawat over a poster of her upcoming film "Dirty Politics" that shows her draped in the tricolour.
The IAF has lined up several programmes to commemorate its role in the 1965 war with Pakistan.
"The IAF is commemorating 50 years of 1965 Indo-Pak War by organising various events like seminars, photo exhibition and homage to martyrs. The contribution of our air veterans who participated in this war need to be duly acknowledged by appropriately revisiting this historical event," IAF spokesperson Wg Cdr Rochelle D'Silva said.
In this regard, a seminar will be held here tomorrow which will be presided over by IAF Chief Arup Raha. Various veterans will express their views on the role of the Air Force in the war and one of the sessions would be chaired by former IAF chief SP Tyagi.
Pakistan's political crisis that raised fears of instability and military intervention in the coup-prone country seemed to be headed towards resolution with efforts to seal a negotiated settlement between the government and protesters gaining momentum today.
In an indication of easing of tensions between the Nawaz Sharif-led government and protesters, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar said the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-I- Insaf and cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri's Pakistan Awami Tehreek are ready to vacate the high-security Constitution Avenue area.
Later, the workers of PAT and PTI vacated the lawn of the Parliament House and moved to D-Chowk where most of PTI supporters are camped in front of the Parliament.
"The government is ready to accept all other demands of PTI and PAT other than the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif," Nisar said.
Mumbai police today claimed to have foiled a deadly gang war, with the arrest of two close aides of Chhota Shakeel gang, who allegedly conspired to gun down two key lieutenants of a rival group headed by Chhota Rajan.
D K Rao, who has a history of recruiting sharpshooters and lieutenants for mafia don Chhota Rajan gang, was one of the two targets, police said. Chhota Shakeel allegedly planned to kill Rao in the sessions court premises here, when he was brought for hearing from Taloja jail in the neighbouring Navi Mumbai city, they said.
"Acting on a tip-off, a trap was laid and the accused Mohammed Mahir Siddhique, 30, and Akhtar Jamal Khan, 35, who are both associates of gangster Chhota Shakeel were arrested near Noor Hotel at Dharavi in Central Mumbai yesterday," Sadanand Date, Joint Police Commissioner (crime) said.
Under attack for allegedly meeting officials of companies accused in 2G scam, CBI Director Ranjit Sinha today said that he would recuse himself from the ongoing probe in Coal scam if the Supreme Court ordered so.
His reaction comes within hours of an NGO filing an application before the apex court demanding that he be kept away from the coal block allocation scam probe because he interfered with it.
The application filed by NGO -- Common Cause -- referred to a document showing ingress and egress into his official residence which contains names of "influential" persons allegedly involved in the coalgate scam. "I will recuse myself from coal scam investigations if Supreme Court orders so," Sinha told reporters.
Victims of petty crime like car theft in Britain are being increasingly told to turn 'detectives' and investigate their own cases by some police forces.
The Inspectorate of Constabulary, the official police watchdog for England and Wales, found in a report that this "do-it-yourself" or DIY, trend was linked with some high-volume types of offences, such as car crimes, criminal damage and non-residential burglaries and warn that these offences are on the verge of being decriminalised.
"Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary finds this expectation by these forces that the victims should investigate their own crimes both surprising and a matter of material concern," says the report.
"The police have been given powers and resources to investigate crime by the public, and there should be no expectation on the part of the police that an inversion of that responsibility is acceptable," it adds.
There is no bar yet to re employ a senior bureaucrat, but a mandatory cooling off period is good for service: Kiran Bedi on P Sathasivam. The former CJI is now the governor of Kerala.
19:13
BJP President Amit Shah speaking at BJP worker's meet in Mumbai.
A special court will begin hearing arguments on framing of charges from September 8 in a coal blocks allocation scam case in which Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda, his son and others were named as accused by the CBI.
"I will start hearing the arguments on framing of charges from September 8," special CBI judge Bharat Parashar, who is exclusively dealing with coal block allocation cases, said.
During the hearing, special public prosecutor R S Cheema informed the court that CBI is likely to file a supplementary charge sheet in the case on September 8.
The special court was hearing the case in which CBI had named in its charge sheet Vijay Darda; his son Devendra Darda; Manoj Jayaswal, director of Nagpur-based AMR Iron and Steel Pvt Ltd; and the firm as accused for the offences under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating) of the IPC and under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
During the hearing, Cheema told the court that the CBI was ready to supply the documents, which were not relied upon by the agency, collected during the probe to the accused.
Real estate prices are set to skyrocket around Vijayawada following announcement by Andhra Pradesh government that the new capital would be located "near" the second largest city of the residuary state.
The land prices started shooting up in the region after media reports indicated that the area is "being considered" for locating the new seat of power of Andhra Pradesh which lost Hyderabad to newly-formed Telangana State.
A Siva Reddy, Vijayawada chapter President of Confederation of Real Estate Developer Associations of India, said property prices within 25km radius of the coastal city in Krishna district have doubled during the past few months.
While Rahul may have played down the rift within the grand old party, as many as 16 secretaries of the AICC had met on Tuesday night. They will write to general secretaries urging them to air their views within the party forum. Point to note is that all of them have agreed that Rahul should not shoulder blame for the Lok Sabha poll debacle.
Kanchan Gupta @KanchanGupta Rahul Gandhi says "India is sinking, Modi is drumming in Japan." Is Congress still surprised it hit a historic low of 44 in Lok Sabha?
Tavleen Singh @tavleen_singh Papu strikes again: blames the Prime Minister for the absence of electricity and water in Amethi.
MA Naqvi: Congress should be happy about what PM did in Japan, he spoke of development & not Congress's failures:
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who was in his constituency, Amethi today, hit out at the Narendra Modi government saying it has been unable to fulfill its promises and check price rise. Hitting out at Modi's just concluded Japan visit, Rahul said, "The PM is playing drums in Japan, while prices are going up."
Addressing the increasing reports of rifts within the Congress, Rahul dismissed it saying, "The Congress is an old organisation. And an old organisation is bound to have multiple voices."
The BJP lost no time in hitting out at Rahul saying the Congress is responsible for inflation and unemployment and that Rahul should be ashamed of his own party and leaders.
Amid indications that a nuclear deal could be in the offing, Australian
Prime Minister Tony Abbott arrived in Mumbai this morning on a two-day
India visit during which the two countries would look at ways to deepen
strategic ties and strengthen two-way trade and commerce.
Prime
Minister Abbott landed in the financial capital, his first port of call,
on a day-long visit during which he will interact with business leaders
and select Indian CEOs.
He also attended the launch of the
Australian Government's New Colombo Plan in India and be present for
felicitation of young cricketers by Oz cricket greats Adam Gilchrist and
Brett Lee at Cricket Club of India. India's cricket icon Sachin
Tendulkar will also attend the ceremony.
Abbott tweeted: Tony Abbott ?@TonyAbbottMHR 1h Was a real thrill to be with 3 legends of cricket @sachin_rt @gilly381 & @BrettLee_58 at the Cricket Club of India
Pic: That's Tony Abbott with Sachin Tendulkar, Adam Gilchrist and Brett Lee.
Three accused have got bail after the CBI refuses to file a chargesheet in the Badaun murder case.
According to the prosecution, filing of a chargesheet within 90 days in such cases is mandatory.
As the CBI, investigating the case, has not filed the chargesheet during this period nor sought additional time for investigation, three accused in the case and two constables have been able to secure bail.
The two cousin sisters were found hanging from a tree in Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh in the last week of May, an incident which sparked national outrage.
The courts ruling came four days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had decided not to oppose applications for bail by five men arrested in the said case, paving the way for the suspects' release.
Initial inquiries had suggested that the two cousins, aged 14 and 15, and belonging to a low-caste community, were raped before being hanged, highlighting a breakdown in law and order in Uttar Pradesh.
The accused reportedly cleared forensic and lie detector tests.
Revealing his plans to make school education free of text books, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray today said an e-learning scheme for students would be launched across the state, if the 'Mahayuti' (grand alliance of Sena, BJP and other parties) comes to power after Maharashtra Assembly elections.
"We have decided to make school education textbook-free if voted to power in Maharashtra. Every government-run school in the state will be provided with an e-learning kit and television sets, where you just insert the CD and students can learn all their subjects in a digital format," Thackeray said addressing reporters at the Sena Bhawan, the party's headquarters in suburban Mumbai.
At least 35 people are feared dead in a bus
accident in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, this afternoon.
The mishap took place when the bus fell into a stream in
Rajouri, reportedly killing some of the passengers.
NDRF teams were dispatched to the spot. There are believed to be 50 passengers in the bus. Details awaited.
Flag meeting with Pakistan Army held on 3rd Sept at Punch-Rawlakot crossing point in Poonch Sector on LoC to discuss current situation along LoC. The meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere and both sides agreed to strengthen existing mechanisms of maintaining peace along LoC.
A court has issued an arrest warrant and a lookout notice against Karthik Gowda, son of Railway Minister DV Sadananda Gowda. Karthik is accused of rape and cheating a Kannada actor.
The warrant was furnished after he failed to appear before the police even as the second notice to him expired yesterday.
Amit Shah was welcomed at Mumbai airport by Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council Vinod Tawde, BJP Mumbai chief Ashish Shelar, party leader Pankaja Munde, among others.
Shah was accompanied by senior BJP leaders Rajiv Pratap Rudy and O P Mathur.
Shah said it was from Maharashtra that warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj established 'Swarajya'.
"We are confident that the 'Mahayuti' (grand alliance of Shiv Sena-BJP and other parties) will form the next government in the state," he said.
Shah attended the BJP core committee meeting at Tawde's residence in Vile Parle.
Amit Sha's address to the party rank and file in Mumbai: The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance will remove the corrupt govt in Maharashtra and form a new govt. From western till southern India, the goal of Congress-mukt Bharat will begin from Maharashtra.
Declared a willful defaulter by state-owned United Bank of India, UB group Chairman Vijay Mallya today disagreed with the action of the lender and said he would pursue legal action.
"We were not given a hearing, we have not appeared before them, we disagree with their action and we shall pursue legal action," Mallya told reporters after the annual general meeting of United Breweries in Bangalore.
Reiterating his intention to seek legal recourse, Mallya said: "I have great faith in the judicial system of our country and as I have said, I will pursue the legal remedies that are available to me."
On Monday United Bank of India declared Mallya and three directors of debt-ridden Kingfisher Airlines, wilful defaulters as the company allegedly indulged in diversion of funds by opening multiple accounts.
The Allahabad High Court today gave 10 days time to the UP government and the Election Commission to file a response on a PIL seeking direction to restrain the use of word 'Love Jihad' and action against BJP MP Yogi Adityanath.
Times Now reports that Amit Shah will in fact, meet Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray tonight. The meeting is to take place at Matoshree at 9:30 pm today.
So, BJP president Amit Shah has arrived in Mumbai to address a meeting of party workers ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly Elections and perform a 'maha-aarti' of Lord Ganesha as part of the ongoing 11-day Ganeshotsav.
What's missing on the agenda is a meeting with key ally the Shiv Sena. Amit Shah will not be meeting Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. This comes amid reports that there are differences between BJP-Shiv Sena on the issue of seat-sharing.
In fact, Thackeray has called a press conference this afternoon, to present a vision document for his party.
Shah is scheduled to visit three Ganesh pandals in the city and will be the guest of honour at a lunch hosted by MP Poonam Mahajan. This will be followed by his address to party workers
British PM David Cameron and US president Barack Obama have said they are determined to "confront" militant group Islamic State.
Cameron told the BBC that he "doesn't rule anything out" with regards to military action against Islamic State.
Writing in the Times ahead of a Nato summit in Wales, the UK and US leaders said people who wanted an "isolationist approach" misunderstood the situation.They also said Nato must have a strong presence in eastern Europe to warn Russia against interfering in Ukraine. -- BBC
With his twin focus on jobs and growth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems intent on placing renewed emphasis on skill development in the services and manufacturing sectors. Read
The Supreme Court today rejected CBI director Ranjit Sinha's plea to gag the media from reporting on the contentious visitors' logbook at his Delhi residence even as Sinha claimed it was invasion of his privacy.
The Indian Express reports that Sinha told a bench led by Justice H L Dattu that the media should be restrained since reports on who had been meeting in private was damaging his reputation. But the court shot back that the media was responsible enough to understand its role.
The bench adjourned the matter for Monday while asking applicant's counsel Prashant Bhushan to file an affidavit into the issue along with the logbook and all other documents that he wished to put on record.
Sinha's counsel Vikas Singh had objected to the application by 2G petitioner NGO CPIL, saying they must also disclose the source of information and also vouch for its authenticity before seeking action against Sinha.
The bench said that Bhushan, CPIL' s counsel shall file the application in accordance with the SC Rules.
Media reports on Sinha's logbook had suggested that he had been meeting accused in 2G spectrum allocation scam as well as in coal scam.
Subsequently Bhushan sought actions against Sinha and moved an application before the court.
Chandrababu Naidu's formal announcement to the public will be made at 12:15 pm, since that's what astrologers have advised to do. The fertile area of Vijayawada will host the "super-capital" that Naidu has vowed to model on Singapore, and that, according to a panel, is where the problem lies.
A central committee has been deputed
to assess the suitability of different towns as a capital and had reportedly advised against the Vijayawada region. The panel says there is not enough land in the region to host a capital and acquiring farms would be costly and laborious for the government.
Just in: The Chandrababu Naidu government today formally announced in the state assembly that Andhra Pradesh's new capital will be built 'in and around Vijayawada'. Naidu said he would develop three mega cities and other small cities around the capital.
Just in: The Home Ministry has asked the IB to verify the authenticity of an Al Qaeda video that threatens to take the terror outfit's campaign to India.
The Intelligence Bureau has issued a security alert to several states after al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahri announced the formation of an Indian branch of his militant group, a report said on Thursday.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, meanwhile, sought a report on a video which features Zawahri announcing the formation of the branch which he said would spread Islamic rule and "raise the flag of jihad" across the subcontinent.
Intelligence agencies will analyse the video of Zawahri to check its veracity.
In a 55-minute video posted online on Wednesday, Zawahri also renewed a longstanding vow of loyalty to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar, in an apparent snub to the Islamic State armed group challenging al Qaeda for leadership of transnational Islamist militancy.
With Teachers' Day tomorrow, schools in the capital are busy making arrangements to ensure the live telecast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech.
However, eminent citizens across the country including principals and professors from Delhi University and Miranda House, have written an open letter on Kafila expressing their concern over the "PM's takeover of Teacher's Day."
The Supreme Court has turned down CBI director Ranjit Sinha's plea restraining media from reporting on the 2G case. The SC hearing on Prashant Bhushan's plea comes up for hearing on Monday.
A diplomat of a rare breed who made civil servants display the rarer asset of a spine died yesterday in Bangalore aged 84. A.P. Venkateswaran was dismissed as foreign secretary at a nationally televised media conference by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in January 1987.
He resigned within hours before Rajiv had a chance to put his pronouncement on paper.
Venkateswaran took many circumstantial factors that contributed to his dismissal to the grave because Rajiv sought -- and he gave -- an assurance to the Prime Minister that he would maintain the confidentiality and the dignity of his office and would not launder any dirty linen in public. Read
Also read: A diplomat who served India well. RIP APV!
There is an inherent tendency within every State to maximize its powers and to extend its control over as many areas of human activity as possible. This propensity is most pronounced in non-democratic and totalitarian States, but even democratic polities are not free from such maximalist tendencies on the part of the State.
It could be argued that individual liberties and freedoms cherished within the institutions of civil society are in perpetual conflict with the power of the State. In a democracy an attempt is made to strike a balance by reining in the powers of the State. This is always an ongoing process and never an easy one.
The Narendra Modi government yesterday formally appointed as Kerala governor P Sathasivam, who retired as the Chief Justice of India just four months ago.
By nominating a former CJI for governor for the first time in the country, the BJP-led government has not only swallowed its own luminaries' words when in Opposition but also put its appointments policy under the scanner.
The Modi government had struck a jarring note when it appointed former Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chairman Nripendra Mishra as the Prime Minister's principal secretary. The chief of Trai, an arbiter on issues involving crores of rupees, was legally barred from taking up a job after the term at the watchdog. The Modi government went to the extent of promulgating an ordinance to ensure Mishra's appointment.
A flood alert was today sounded in Srinagar city as River Jhelum was flowing four feet above the danger mark after incessant rain, while 23 villages have been inundated by floods in south Kashmir districts of Anantnag and Kulgam. Incessant rain over the past three days has wreaked havoc in many parts of the Valley with south Kashmir's Anantnag and Kulgam districts the worst-hit.
Gujarat, UP, MP and Bihar on high alert after Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri announced the formation of an Indian wing of the terror group. Intelligence Bureau officials have also asked officials in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh to question all those who have any links with the banned organisation Students Islamic Movement of India. In a 55-minute long video, Zawahiri announced the formation of an Indian branch of his global armed group that he said would spread Islamic rule and "raise the flag of jihad' across the subcontinent. Zawahri said the new wing would defend Muslims in Bangladesh, India and Myanmar. In his video, he singles Assam, Gujarat and Kashmir -- as territories to be targeted by the new organisation.
Hours after a video emerged of Al Qaeda terror chief announcing the formation of an Indian wing of the terror group in India to protect the Muslim population and raise the flag of jihad across the subcontinent, the Home Ministry has confirmed the authenticity of the video and has issued an alert over it.
Valerie Trierweiler, the former partner of French President Francois Hollande, says he 'dislikes the poor' despite his role as a socialist politician. She made the claim in a new book she has written which details her relationship and break-up with Hollande. In her book, she adds that when she was informed of his affair with actress Julie Gayet, she tried to commit suicide by taking sleeping pills. She writes in her book, 'News of [Hollande's affair with actress] Julie Gayet makes the morning headlines. I crack, I cannot hear that, I rush to the bathroom. I grab the small plastic bag that contains sleeping pills. Francois followed me. He attempts to grab the bag from me. I run to the bedroom. He grasps the bag that rips open. The pills spill out onto the bed and the floor.'
A day after Former Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam was appointed as the new Kerala Governor amid much criticism, he has come clean on the issue. He said there was no controversy in his appointment and that the Congress's claims of quid pro quo were baseless. "Amit Shah's verdict was by merit, did not exonerate him," he said.
The Congress had slammed the move to appoint him at the post wondering if there is "anything in his persona, functioning or his decisions, which has really attracted very warmly, very positively, the acceptance of Prime Minister Modi and BJP president Amit Shah".
Sathasivam was on the Supreme Court bench that scrapped a second FIR against Shah in a fake encounter case, saying it was linked to the bigger Sohrabuddin Sheikh killing case and did not need to be separate.
Religious comments by Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad to Sri Lanka player Tillakaratne Dilshan after a recent one-day game are being investigated by the Pakistan Cricket Board. While the players were walking back to the dressing room, Shehzad was caught on camera telling Dilshan, "If you are a non-Muslim and you turn Muslim, no matter whatever you do in your life, straight to heaven." Dilshan's reply was not audible, and Shehzad went on to say, "Then be ready for the fire." PCB general manager media Agha Akbar says Shehzad told the board it was a "personal chat with Dilshan," and the board is still investigating the matter.
Sofia Vergara has once again topped Forbes' list of highest-earning TV actresses, raking in an impressive $37 million in earnings this past year. The Modern Family star kept her spot for a third year running, bringing in $7 million more than the previous year, according to the magazine. The 42-year-old earns $325,000 per episode on the hit ABC show, but the bulk of her earnings comes from lucrative endorsement deals.
The family of American Steven Sotloff had a message for the notorious leader of the militant group, Islamic State, asking him to answer for the sin he committed with the beheading of the journalist.Sotloff's family broke its silence the same day US intelligence officials said the videotaped execution was authentic. "I have a message for Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi," family spokesman Barak Barfi told reporters in Arabic, reading from a statement. "The month of Ramadan is the month of mercy. Where is your mercy?" "Wayluk", Barfi said, using an Arabic phrase that roughly translates to committing a great sin.
In English, Barfi told reporters gathered outside the Sotloff family's home in Miami: "Today, we grieve. This week, we mourn. But we will emerge from this ordeal ...We will not allow our enemies to hold us hostage with the sole weapons they possess, fear."
INS Sumitra, a new generation Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel built by Goa Shipyard Limited, will be formally commissioned by Admiral R K Dhowan, Chief of Naval Staff, today in Chennai. The ship is fitted with most sophisticated weapons, guns, heavy calibre SRGM, rapid fire Russian AK630 guns, chaff launchers Kavach, EW system Sanket and various other electronic sensors.
The African Union has announced it will hold an emergency meeting next week aimed at hammering out a continent-wide strategy to deal with the Ebola epidemic.
The AU's Executive Council said yesterday that next Monday's meeting, to be held at the body's headquarters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, would also "deliberate on the suspension of flights, and maritime and border closures, as well as stigmatisation of the affected countries and their nationals".
A Libyan security official says a military jet has crashed in the country's eastern city of Tobruk, killing the pilot and four other people. Libyan official said the plane crashed because of a technical problem. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
The crash came amid fierce clashes in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi between Islamist militiamen and forces loyal to General Khalifa Hifter.
At least nine militants were killed and 11 others arrested during a military raid in North Sinai province of Egypt, a security source said. 11 militants were arrested while 10 houses and 20 shelters belonging to militants were destroyed in the military raids, the source said yesterday.
Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri declared today in a video message that the global Islamist extremist movement has launched a new branch to lead its struggle in the Indian sub-continent.
In the video, found in online jihadist forums by the SITE terrorism monitoring group, Zawahiri said the new force would "crush the artificial borders" dividing Muslim populations in the region.
A week after the guns fell silent in the Gaza war, Israel and the Palestinians seem to have little appetite or incentive for a return to U.S.-sponsored peace and statehood talks that collapsed five months ago. With conflicts raging in Ukraine, Iraq and Syria - and the future of the Gaza Strip largely uncharted by a broadbrush Egyptian-mediated ceasefire deal - world powers also are not rushing headlong into the Israeli-Palestinian stalemate.
The parties themselves, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bickering governing coalition and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, are on a collision course over threatened Palestinian unilateral moves toward statehood and exploration of war crimes prosecution against Israel in the absence of direct talks. Israel draw Palestinian and international criticism on Sunday by announcing a major appropriation of occupied land in the West Bank, the most significant such move in 30 years.
Journalist Steven Sotloff held dual US and Israeli citizenship but concealed that during the year he was held captive before Islamic State terrorists beheaded him, Israel's government announced Wednesday.
The grandson of Holocaust survivors, he immigrated from Florida to Israel in 2005 and studied at a private university, the Interdisciplinary Center, Israeli media reported.
President Obama on Wednesday declared the conflict in Ukraine a "moment of testing' for the United States and Europe, calling Russia's intervention a "brazen assault' on the nation's territorial integrity that warrants a unified response.
On a day of conflicting reports of a cease-fire agreement between President Petro O Poroshenko of Ukraine and President Vladimir V Putin of Russia that both soon walked back, Obama condemned what he called "Russia's aggression against Ukraine' and said Moscow was guilty of having violated the postwar international order.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has put forward what he called an "action plan" for peace in eastern Ukraine, amid contradictory reports on whether a cease-fire had been reached between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatist rebels.
Speaking in the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator, Putin said both the Ukrainian government forces and the rebels should halt "active offensive operations" in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine, where the two sides have engaged in fierce clashes.
President Barack Obama said a video showing the beheading of a second American journalist by Islamic State underscores the need for a global alliance to confront the extremist group.
The recording posted online yesterday shows the execution of captured freelance journalist Steven Joel Sotloff by the militant Sunni group that controls a swath of eastern Syria and northern Iraq.
Journalist James Foley was beheaded in a video released last month."It's not only that we're going to be bringing to justice those that perpetrated this terrible crime against these fine young men,' Obama said today during a visit to Tallinn, Estonia.
France is suspending the delivery of a hulking warship to Russia amid security concerns about Moscow's actions in neighbouring Ukraine, President Francois Hollande's office said today.
The announcement comes a day before the start of a NATO summit and after months of pressure on France from allies to suspend the sale amid tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
Sixteen people, among them 10 children, were killed in a government air raid in eastern Syria on today, a monitor said, but state media blamed the deaths on jihadist militants.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said an air strike hit a bus on the road between the province of Deir Ezzor and Damascus as it passed through the Shula area.
A Riyadh court jailed 24 people, including a US citizen, for up to 27 years Wednesday for forming a "terrorist cell" and attempting to attack Saudi and Bahrain, state media said. The defendants, sentenced to at least two years in prison, also include one Yemeni citizen, while the rest are all Saudi nationals, said the official SPA news agency. The US citizen, who was not named, was jailed for 17 years.
Romania has given the green light to NATO to base fighters there as the crisis in neighbouring Ukraine deepens, its president said today. "These planes will be part of the NATO integrated defence system alongside the Romanian air force," Traian Basescu said after a meeting of the country's defence council.
"As many as 200 pilots, mechanics and maintenance personnel will be stationed on Romanian territory," he said.
The US today said it was important for India and Pakistan to find a way to resume dialogue and it was supportive of such efforts.
"US would like to see a good relationship between India and Pakistan. We think that finding a way to dialogue is important. We support dialogues," US Charge d'Affaires to India, Kathleen Stephen told reporters tonight on the sidelines of a programme.
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